Mass Effect: Judgement
by AgentStark427
Summary: Commander Shepard isn't the only hero in the galaxy. Author: AgentStark Editor: S4tr1s Literary Adviser: FanFicCritic
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

**Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End**

The night sky was twinkling with the explosions and gunfire from space. The ground was shaking from the rumble of large tanks, lumbering mechanical beasts, and the roar of weapons fire. A young man in a suit of armor was standing above a legion of Alliance troops that were ready to follow commands. He bore the N7 Special Forces emblem which he was given by Alliance command only a day before the final attack. This emblem signified skill, rank, and above all, superiority in more than just combat. The N7s weren't just a lethal tactics group, they were also the ambassadors of the Alliance Military. His name was Commander Jared Riley, and he was tasked with protecting the survivors of the Reaper attack on Earth. At his sides were two other soldiers: One man and one woman. The woman on his right was a combat engineer, using her Omni-Tool to wreak havoc on the battlefield. The man on his left was a soldier, with guns, explosives, and enhanced strength that made him a valuable asset.

Riley activated his Omni-Shield as dozens of demorphed humanoids started to climb over the rubble that was once London central park. He couldn't help but to feel that all of this fighting was worthless given the circumstances. The Reapers had basically taken over the entire galaxy at this point, and Earth was in ruins. A sense of dread filled him as he looked down at the battlefield in front of him. The line of Alliance soldiers got ready to fight back the Reaper thralls as they got closer. Riley gave the order to open fire and pulled out his pistol with his free hand. Allan, the soldier, began sniping cannibals from the top of the wall. The engineer jumped down to the ground and used her Omni-Tool to shock the Marauders, bringing their shields down before she used her rifle to gun them down. The soldiers in front were being torn apart as the Reapers managed to get a foothold. One marine stared to pull his comrade off of the field just before he was gunned down by a Marauder.

Riley watched as each man was shot down and started to get mad. He couldn't stand there any longer and jumped down to the ground. A group of Reapers were closing in on the wall. Riley charged into the group like a juggernaut, using his shield like a battering ram. His Omni-tool allowed him to freeze, incinerate, and drain the shields of any target in his way. His biotics let him rip apart anything that was left. As a husk approached him he smashed it with his shield, sending the cyber-zombie flying. Another husk approached from the left. Riley responded by firing off an incendiary blast that turned the husk into a pile of ashes. A group of husks started to swarm him, but he responded by using a snap freeze attack, blasting them all with a cryogenic cloud that caused them all to freeze instantly. He then used his shield which caused the husks to shatter in an icy explosion. Another group of husks came into close range. Riley retaliated and used his biotic abilities to create a singularity, levitating them before he triggered a biotic explosion.

Despite the fierce fighting from the Alliance soldiers, the squad found themselves on their own as one marine after another was wounded or killed. They were forced back to the wall as the Reapers intensified their attacks. The engineer was attacked by a husk from behind, and wasn't able to shake him off. She panicked as her armor was ripped up by the husks sharp talons and beaten around while the soldier tried to pry it off. The husk then tossed away the engineer and started attacking the soldier. He fought of the husk and curb stomped it out of rage, but the husk bought a Marauder enough time to strike the soldier to the ground with the butt of his rifle. Riley was now the only one left. There was no words, no sympathy, no fear. Just the mission. He readied his shield once again and began striking husk after husk, planting perfect headshots on the Marauders and incinerating the cannibals. Every time he brought down one Reaper troop, another would climb over the rubble.

In a fit of rage, Riley felt a spike in his biotic powers. His strikes were stronger, and his attacks were more ruthless. His body was glowing a faint purple, which signified the presence of overcharged biotic abilities. This empowered him making him more powerful than an average human being and allowed him to take on more of the abominations. A brute charged him, only to be tossed aside like a rag doll. A Marauder was shooting away at Riley, hitting him repeatedly but seemingly doing no damage. Riley walked forward and lifted him up with his biotics. He crushed the marauder, making a bloody mess as any liquid was juiced from the thing. As more Reapers attacked, he began to tire. The massive boost to his metabolism also drained his energy faster. As he started to fatigue, a red glow emerged from the horizon. It wasn't the sun, London was still on the far side. It was an artificial wave that seemed to come from space itself that destroyed everything it hit. As everything behind it was wiped out, Riley only stared at it. As the wave hit him, he was forced back into the wall that he was defending.

There was only darkness after he made contact with the wall.

Riley woke up in a cold sweat as he was sitting on what he could tell was his bed in his quarters on the SSV _Vancouver_. He looked outside the window sighing with relief as he stood up and walked to his locker, It was just a bad nightmare. As he put on his dress uniform he started thinking about the Reapers. Ever since Commander Shepard sent the Alliance data about Harbinger and Project Rho, Riley couldn't seem to shake the feeling that the Reapers were real. He walked out of his quarters and onto the main elevator, hoping to find some good news.

He took the elevator to the Combat Intelligence Center, or the bridge as they called it. Being the executive officer of the Vancouver, Riley was required to oversee the operations on the bridge when the Captain was not on deck. He walked up to the Galaxy Map and assumed control of the bridge from the night shift. A marine walked up and handed him the current mission report. It stated that the Vancouver was due to patrol a sector in the Perseus Veil to monitor Geth and Quarian activity. He looked down at the report and felt a hint of security when he saw that it was just a patrol mission. He handed the pad back to the marine and turned back to the Galaxy Map. He plotted the course on the map and walked down the main control hallway to the helm station. Helmsman George Leonard was at his post doing his job. He turned to see the Lieutenant and spoke.

"Morning, Commander. Did you sleep well last night?" he asked. Riley simply made a dazed blink, still trying to wake up as he leaned on the wall. George simply turned around. "I guess not then..." he said. "I had some sort of nightmare last night... It was a war on Earth. It looked like Judgment Day from the book of Revelations. Remember those things that Shepard said were coming?" asked Riley. "You mean Reapers? I thought the council dismissed that," said George. "Admiral Hackett didn't dismiss it. Neither did Admiral Anderson," replied Riley. "Great. Now you think they're real?" asked George in an annoyed fashion. Riley as almost as annoyed hearing this. "An N7 Commander with over ten years of experience on his belt decided to destroy an entire section of the galaxy so these things couldn't get here. I think that calls for some sort of attention." George shook his head and got back to work. "Whatever. I think it's just Alliance Brass' way of getting recruits." Just after George's retort, a blip came up on the radar. It indicated that a ship was sending a distress call.

"Looks like our patrol got a bit more interesting. Distress call about two light years away." asked George. "Take us in, Mr. Leonard," replied Riley.

As the Vancouver neared the site of the distress beacon, a few cannon shots skimmed the bow of the ship. The hull rumbled as George maneuvered out of the way. Riley got serious after recovering from the jolt caused by George's turn.

"Report!" demanded Riley. "Canon fire from the source of the beacon, Commander. Looks like Cerberus is the cause of distress today," replied George. "They're attacking a Quarian science vessel: The _Moreh_." Riley knew that name well being a Quarian enthusiast to some degree. "That's Admiral Daro'Xen's ship. We need to give them a hand or the Quarians aren't going to be inclined to help us in the future." He walked to a nearby communication panel and pressed a button. "All hands, Red Alert. Report to battle stations. Captain Ramirez to the bridge."

The Quarians were getting beaten as the ship suffered internal damage from the concussive blasts of the Cerberus weapons. On the bridge, Admiral Daro'Xen was trying to maintain control of her panicked crew.

"Divert all available power to ship barriers. I want to hold out long enough for someone to help us or at least long enough for engineering to repair the engines," ordered the admiral. "Admiral, we've lost weapons functionality," exclaimed an operations officer. "Divert damage control teams three and four to weapons. Tell them to concentrate on the port side," she replied. "Admiral, I read two Cerberus shuttles approaching. They're firing on the shuttle bay!" "All hands, brace for impact!"she ordered. The first shuttle fired two missiles at the bay doors and blew them open. The environmental safeties were triggered and a shield was placed where the doors used to be. The Cerberus shuttles passed through the shield and landed, releasing teams of Cerberus troopers.

Captain Ramirez walked onto the bridge from the elevator, met by Commander Riley. "Status report," said the Captain, heading to the galaxy map. "Quarian vessel under attack from a Cerberus ship. Looks like they're taking a beating," said Riley. An operations officer gave a new report from his console. "I have a status update on the Quarian ship. They're being boarded." Captain Ramirez turned to Riley. "Commander, take your squad to the shuttle bay and help flush out that boarding party. The Quarians won't stand a chance if they're being attacked on both fronts." "Aye, sir," replied Riley. "Delta team, report to the Shuttle Bay. Have your equipment sterilized and have medi-gel on hand. Shuttle crew, have the shuttle ready for boarding a Quarian ship." Riley walked onto the elevator looking back out onto the C.I.C. before the doors closed. Little did he know it would be the last time he did.

...

At the shuttle bay, two Alliance marines were sitting and waiting for orders. One was a man, the other a woman. These two were extremely similar to the two soldiers in Riley's nightmare. They were his closest comrades in the service: Lieutenant Taylor Belle and Staff Sergeant Allan Dunnae. Allan was a soldier who met Riley during the Commander's red sand ring bust and had saved the Commander on various occasions from afar. He was a marksman as well as a shock trooper. You could place him far away or put him right in the action. Either way, he'd be able to take someone's head off. He was in his T-51 Battlesuit made especially for N7 soldiers, but Riley was able to make an exception.

Taylor was a combat engineer, and a very smart young lady. She specialized in pyrotechnics and electrical warfare, using specialized grenades a well as her Omni-tool to immobilize or destroy targets. She met the Commander when she was first assigned to the Vancouver during the Citadel conflict. She was fresh out of the academy and inexperienced when she was assigned to his team, and paid the price. She suffered wounds to her arm and chest from a Geth plasma rifle when Riley's team was flushing the Geth out of the Presidium on the Citadel. Most of her chest wounds were healed, but her arm suffered too much damage and needed synthetic parts to regain full function. Basically, she was a cyborg. Most people get freaked out when they see the arm and the trail of metal on her neck, but Riley was one of the few people that didn't care much for it. The same went for Allan. Together, the three made an unstoppable team.

Riley exited the elevator in his Paladin armor as Taylor finished putting on her Demolisher class armor, made for Alliance Tech Officers. Allan walked up to Riley as he looked over to the soldier, or rather up. Allan was already over six feet tall, but the battle armor made him look like a giant.

"What's the mission, Commander?" he asked. "Cerberus troops have boarded the _Moreh._We need to get onboard and help the Quarians regain control of their ship," replied Riley. "About time we actually get to board a Quarian ship," said Taylor. "Hold it, Lieutenant. I know you've been wanting to see what they're liveships are like. I do too. But we can't let that get in the way of 1: The Quarians won't be happy with us contaminating their ship, and 2: There are human terrorists on board. We need to remain professional and stay cautious," said Riley. "Understood, sir. I'll try to keep from asking too many questions," replied Taylor. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's kick some Cerberus ass!" exclaimed Allan.

The team boarded the shuttle with two additional marines for added security. Riley had already briefed them on what to expect and to make sure the environment was sterilized and make sure all helmets were on before boarding. About halfway into the trip, the shuttle came under fire from Cerberus fighters.

"Commander, you've got two fighters on your tail. We're trying to keep them busy," said Captain Ramirez. The shuttle rocked about as it tried avoiding enemy fire. The Vancouver eventually lined up a few shots and disabled one of the fighters, sending it into the other. "You're clear, Commander. Tangos down," said Captain Ramirez. "Thanks for the help, Captain. Riley out." The shuttle craft headed for the open port on the side of the liveship and proceeded inside to find two Cerberus shuttles and a security team to keep control of the shuttle bay. The team started to shoot at the Alliance shuttle only to do little to no damage. "Commander? What do you want me to do about the welcoming committee?" asked the shuttle pilot. A camera feed activating showing the futile resistance. "Show them we mean business," said Riley. "Aye, Commander. Laying down fire." The shuttle opened fire on the two shuttles and the infiltration units, bringing down all of the troops ahead of them and rendering the two shuttles useless. "Area clear, Commander. I'm bringing us down," said the shuttle pilot.

The shuttle descended and the doors opened as Riley and his team hopped out, doing a quick scan of the shuttle bay. "I didn't even know Quarians allowed shuttle bays on their liveships," said Taylor. "Dunnae, take point," said Commander Riley. He pointed to one of the marines. "I need you to remain here and stay on guard. We don't want someone coming after the shuttle." The officer nodded in acknowledgement and stayed behind. Allan walked forward to the entrance into the main hallways. Most of the lighting was offline and there was signs of battle, but no bodies so far. They continued walking through the battle damaged corridor until shots were fired from one of the dark ends of the hall.

"Grab cover!" yelled Riley as the team split up. One of the unfortunate security officers was hit with a string of bullets and died instantly. Riley watched as the officer hit the floor and was enraged. Fortunately, the Cerberus troops were only coming from that one end of the corridor. Taylor set up an ammunition pylon for Allan as Riley put up his omni-shield and fired from its cover. "Fire in the hole!" yelled Allan as he set up his N7 Typhoon assault rifle and started laying down a seemingly endless stream of fire on the Cerberus troopers. This allowed Riley an opening to start using his biotics and get some payback.

A Cerberus Dragoon approached and used his biotic whips to strike Riley, sending him staggering back. Riley fought back by sending a biotic pulse into the Dragoon which cause his armor to slowly disintegrate. He followed that up with a biotic push, overloading the amount of element zero radiation in the dragoons body and causing an explosion. Three centurions approached him, but started convulsing after a static grenade went off right in the middle of them, compliments of Lieutenant Belle.

A combat engineer in the far left, across from Riley, had set up a turret which opened fire. Riley put back up his shield, protecting himself from the incoming fire. When the turret stopped to reload, he drained the energy from the turret, disabling it. Allan fired a missile from his shoulder pack that destroyed the turret. The explosion knocked the engineer back, and Riley ran up to him and slammed him with his shield, sending him careening down the hall way. All three of the Alliance marines looked up and down the hallway, checking for any remaining troops. Riley heard a stir from behind a crate, and trained his pistol on it.

"Don't shoot! I'm not Cerberus!" a female Quarian stood up from behind the crate with her hands up. Riley calmed down and lowered his gun as his squad followed up. "My name is Selene'Eesa. I can help you get control of the ship."

Outside, the battle was raging between the two cruisers. The _Vancouver_was taking heavy fire from the superior firepower of the Cerberus cruiser, and Captain Ramirez was trying to keep control of the situation as the ship was slowly falling apart.

"Divert power to kinetic barriers! We need to hold on a little longer until the ground team gets control of the research ship," ordered the Captain. "Sir, ship to ship communications are down!" exclaimed an operations officer. "Divert damage control. Get auxiliary systems online." A fire erupted on the bridge as a power conduit in the floor overloaded. "Someone get that fire out!" demanded Captain Ramirez. Another conduit exploded near the Captain as the lights went dead.

Riley, Selene, Taylor and Allan were walking down an abandoned corridor of the Quarian ship as Riley was interrogating Selene as to what was going on. "Mind telling us why Cerberus would be interested in a Quarian ship?" asked Riley. "It's Cerberus. They'd want anything that helps them 'evolve,'" she said. "Alright, what are you researching here?" Selene stopped and brought up a schematic on her omni-tool that showed a communications device. "We were working on a device that could possibly gain control of the Geth. Unfortunately our testing materials didn't respond," said Selene. "Maybe Cerberus thought they can get it to work and make a synthetic army to fight the Reapers," said Taylor. "Not likely. Cerberus is trying to enhance humans, not replace them," replied Riley. Selene continued. "That's not all we found. When we did the testing, our security officers said they experienced extreme headaches before passing out. The only thing is that they didn't pass out. They started following the commands we were putting in, like they were-" "Indoctrinated," interrupted Riley. He knew what the Quarians accidently made, and he knew it meant trouble. "Taylor, doesn't the design look familiar?" asked Riley. Taylor examined the design closely. "It does. It looks like it's giving off emissions similar to those devices we picked up on the Citadel after the Geth attacked." "And Object Rho," continued Riley. "What?" asked Allan. "I'll explain later."

Riley turned back to Selene and pointed to the design. "You need to destroy this as soon as you can. Your people have just built an Indoctrination Device, That's why Cerberus wants to use it," he said urgently. Selene looked at the designs with a sense of disbelief. "All those years of research and designing... And our one hope for taking back our home is really our worst nightmare?" she shook her head, trying to think about how to deal with this. "Selene, I know it's hard to let go of something you put a lot of time into, but this is for the best. Some discoveries are best left a mystery," said Riley. He set a hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her as she sighed. "I'll talk to Admiral Xen. She probably would want to try something else anyway," she said. "Thank you. Now let's get back to regaining control of the ship," he replied.

Selene nodded and walked up to an elevator door, taking off a panel and rewiring it with her omni-tool. "I can hack into the bridge's vidcom receivers and try to get an idea of what's going on up there." A nearby computer display lit up showing the camera feed. It didn't look good for the bridge crew as Admiral Xen and her crew were cornered by Cerberus troopers, virtually taken hostage. "If we don't act now they'll be shot like fish in a barrel," said Allan. "Forgive me, but I'm Quarian," said Selene with an irritated tone. "He means they'll be shot if we don't do something," said Riley. "Hold on there, hotshot," interrupted Taylor. "If we go in guns a-blazing they'll be shot. But this is your call, Commander." Riley thought for a minute then opened the door. "Taylor, get a link to this monitor. You too, Selene. We'll use the feed to tell us what's going on. Selene and I will take this elevator up while Taylor and Allan take the one on the other side. We don't have much time so designate targets and wait for my signal." said Riley. He walked into the elevator with Selene following behind as Taylor and Allan walked to the elevator on the adjacent side.

"And you honestly think I'll cooperate with a group of terrorists that attacked my people for no reason?" asked Admiral Xen. "I'm not going to make this any easier. Just give us your research materials and data. We'll let your ship and crew leave once it's all been transported," replied a Centurion. "And I'm not going to change my answer. I would rather die than simply let someone take a weapon we created. Besides, it's set to self destruct when someone else tries to access it." "This is your final chance, Quarian. Relinquish the research or we'll have to take it by force."

Selene started hacking the controls as Riley set his omni-tool to target a group of Cerberus troopers that were close together. As the team had their targets assigned and the elevators in place, Riley waited for the right moment when everyone had a clear shot.

"Now!" he yelled. The whole room seemed to slow down around them as the adrenaline started pumping, The three soldiers ran into close range and began their assault. Riley sprayed a group of four Cerberus troopers with a cryo blast as Taylor tossed a static grenade, sending another group of troopers into a convulsive state. Allan started to unload on the rest as Riley finished off the four that he froze and Taylor double checked her kills. A ghost-like figure seemed to walk through the room as Selene picked it up using thermal scanning. It snuck up behind Riley and was about to strike as Selene shot it with her Locust submachine gun. The figure decloaked, revealing itself to be a Cerberus Phantom. Riley turned after hearing the shot right behind him and looked down at the Phantom. He looked up at Selene who gave him a friendly wink.

Admiral Daro'Xen was relieved to see friendly faces. "You're timing couldn't be better, human. Maybe I'll let the Alliance benefit from our research after all," said Admiral Xen. "I'm Commander Riley of the _S.S.V. Vancouver._ I'm afraid I have some bad news about your recent breakthrough." Selene walked forth. "Admiral, I compared notes with the Alliance crew. We need to destroy the prototype as soon as possible. It's an indoctrination device, not an AI controller like we thought we were making. In the wrong hands, this could easily be the tool to our demise," she said urgently. Admiral Xen didn't seem surprised to hear this. "If it gave Cerberus a reason to come after us I believe it is better off unfinished. Destroy the prototype but keep the research and encode it. I don't want anyone else knowing about this," said Admiral Xen. Selene nodded and walked to the lab controls.

"Admiral, all decks report clear except for the shuttle bay," said a Quarian operations officer. "I'll double check, Commander," said Allan. "Do it," said Riley as Allan headed to the elevator to go down to the shuttle bay. Riley activated his suit radio to signal the _Vancouver._"Riley to _Vancouver,_ the Quarian ship is clear. We're ready for return." He waited for a response, but there was none. Just static. "Riley to _Vancouver,_ please respond." Riley started to worry as he still couldn't get a response. "Commander, the _Vancouver_has sustained heavy damage. It's primary communications array has been disabled and I'm reading an energy spike in their power grid," said Selene.

As Allan got to the shuttle bay, he noticed there was no one there. "Dunnae to Riley, I don't see anyone here, Commander. Just a dead room." He kept walking forth and stepped on a body. He stopped and looked down to find that it was the other marine they brought. He was stabbed in the chest and bled out, dead on the floor. He ran to the shuttle and saw the door was opened. When he looked inside, he saw that the pilot had his throat slit with a puddle of blood staining his uniform. He looked at the shuttle controls and noticed they were offline. Further checking under the console revealed most of the wires were ripped out. He heard a step behind him and activated his omni-blade, slashing behind him. It was another Phantom, and he struck her in the neck, sending her flying away into one of the disabled Cerberus shuttles. As the Phantom tried to get up, he shot her in the head with his rifle. "Dunnae to Riley, the rest of the team is dead. I'm heading back up to the bridge," he said. "Copy that, Dunnae. Did you find any Cerberus operatives?" asked. "I did better than that," he said.

"Admiral, weapons have been restored," said the operations officer. "Open fire on the Cerberus cruiser. Hit them with everything we've got!" exclaimed Admiral Xen. Commander Riley looked out of the window and saw as the Cerberus ship was pelted with cannon shells and being torn to pieces. Each of the metal plates were blown off as it fell apart and eventually exploded in a spectacular fireball. As the smoke cleared, only a twisted frame was left as the ship hulk started falling out of orbit. The Quarian crew cheered as Riley and his team were seeing much worse news on the _Vancouver's _status.

Onboard the _Vancouver_, consoles were overloading and fires were erupting. The crew was desperately trying to keep things together as the ship was falling apart. Captain Ramirez lay dead on the galaxy map projector. There was a hull breach that stretched from deck 3 to deck 6. A scrambled message came up on the intercom as George tried getting back up on his chair. "Captain Ramirez to engineering! The core is destabilizing! Core breach imminent! I repeat, core breach im-" The comm filled with static as a bright light could be seen from the engineering section.

Riley looked back out the window with his two officers as the Alliance ship began to blow apart from the inside out. Armor panels were disintegrated as the frame of the ship began to bend and warp, releasing its entire supply of oxygen as the crew was spaced one by one. The fusion core finally released its full capacity of energy as the entire ship was vaporized in a huge fireball. Nothing remained of the _SSV Vancouver_and her crew other than Riley, Taylor, and Allan. Riley looked down in disbelief as the Quarian crew grew quiet. Selene set an arm on the Commander's shoulder trying to comfort him, but he jerked away. He looked back up as anger was prevalent in his eyes. He turned from the viewport and walked off of the bridge in a fixed rage without saying a word.


	2. Chapter 2: Shakedown

**Chapter 2: Shakedown**

Commander Riley looked out of the window of the _Moreh _reveling in his emotions. He was enraged about the loss of his ship and nearly half the people he knew well. As he put his hands onto the guard rail he thought to himself: _When? When will I finally get the chance to nail those bastards and give them the justice they deserve? When will their judgment come? _He wanted desperately to punch a hole in something, but given that this wasn't an Alliance ship, he had to be diplomatically presentable and keep a cool head. Besides, the Quarians weren't responsible for torture and mass murder.

Selene walked up next to him and looked out along with him. She leaned her forearms against the guard rail, trying to get his attention. A few moments passed and she looked over at him, tilting her head. "You're not going to budge, are you?" she asked. "Not unless you give me a reason to," said Riley. "Commander Riley, you've been standing here for nearly an hour. Don't you think you should be with your squad?" she asked. "It's best to remove an unstable element from an already volatile situation. Otherwise an un-intentional 'incident' may occur," he replied. She seemed a little worried. One would not be able to tell through her facial expressions, but her body movements said it all. "Commander, this is a rough time for you. I do realize that. But you can't just sit and rot while you plan vengeance." Riley snapped back at her, turning his full attention to her. "Do you know what it's like to lose almost everyone you knew in one swift blow?" Selene stood back a bit as she was startled by his sudden uproar, but she became aggressive and got in his face.

"Other people have lost loved ones as well, Commander. When Cerberus attacked our fleet, I lost so many of my good friends. I will never forgive them for attacking us unprovoked, nor will I forgive them for attacking us today, That doesn't mean I'm going to waste my life trying to destroy Cerberus. I moved on, and you should to." Riley didn't seem convinced and looked back out the window. Selene relaxed herself as she looked back out with him. "I'm sorry for your loss, but you still have your squad, and you still have your homeworld," said Selene. Riley didn't reply. The two continued to look out into space until Riley received a signal on his suit radio. "Commander Riley, this is Admiral Daro'Xen. Please report to the vidcom room. Admiral Anderson would like to speak with you," Riley pushed off of the guard rail, heading back toward the bridge. Selene watched him as he walked off.

He walked into a dark room which suddenly started to light up as the panel beneath him illuminated, forming a grid around him that scanned his body. Another light formed ahead in the shape of Admiral David Anderson. "Commander, it's good to see you're still alive. I'm sorry about the loss of the _Vancouver. _She was a good ship and had a fine crew," said Admiral Anderson. "Admiral, I apologize for being blunt, but I know this isn't the reason you're contacting me," replied Riley. "No, it isn't. I'm contacting you because you have a new assignment. Consider it a favor from the Alliance." Riley crossed his arms. "I'm listening." "We're giving you command of the _S.S.V. New York_, an Alliance Cruiser. She still needs a lot of work done and a new command crew, but I think she'll do fine once you get the right people," said the Admiral. "Seems simple enough. What's the mission?" Admiral Anderson sighed and started pacing as the vidcom receiver followed him. "I realize that Cerberus has been on your bad side for a long time now. Trust me when I say I feel no different considering how much of a pain they've been for the Alliance. This is your chance to get some payback, Commander. I'm assigning you to the Alliance Search and Destroy fleet to take out every Cerberus base and operative we can pin down. They've been declared an enemy of the Alliance. May as well start cleaning up before the Reapers get here." Riley's attention shot up at the mention of Cerberus and the Reapers. "So the Reapers are coming?" asked Riley. "They've been detected on long range scanners coming from Dark Space. The fleet's been mobilized and we're trying to get Alliance Brass to let Shepard get a few words of wisdom in. If the Reapers do get here and we're overwhelmed, don't let that throw you off. Cerberus will see that as a an opportunity to advance their efforts. You need to keep them from getting any further," explained Anderson. "Aye, sir. I'll make sure they don't make things worse for you." "That's what I like to hear. Anderson out." The image of Anderson disappeared as Riley walked back out of the room.

Selene was waiting patiently for him by the door, listening to the whole discussion. "So you're going up against Cerberus after all?" she asked. "This doesn't concern you," he replied. "Yes it does, Commander. I read the _New York's _roster. You need someone with Quarian know-how to get that ship ready. That," she paused, looking down. "And I still haven't gone on my pilgrimage," She looked somewhat embarrassed. Riley turned around looking confused. "You don't act like you didn't," said Riley. "I was born on this ship. I was more educated than I would have been if I were born on the Tonbay or the Neema. Admiral Xen saw me as an asset and recruited me before I had a chance to go on my Pilgrimage. Unfortunately for her, she can't make me stay if I choose to go on my Pilgrimage now." Riley wasn't convinced. "What about your fight with the Geth?" he asked. "I could care less about them right now. I always believed in Admiral Zaal'Koris' policy in the first place," she said. She was determined to join this crew. Riley knew she was going to be persistent, and finally relented. "Alright, you can tag along," Selene looked up and smiled behind her mask. "But don't do anything to the ship unless I give the word on it," said Riley. Selene didn't care. She was simply excited that she could work on an alien ship and fight for her people. "Yes, sir!" she replied excitedly. Riley nodded, showing approval of her eagerness. "Good. Be ready to depart with us once we dock at the Citadel. I'll be sure to make accommodations on the _New York _before we leave," he said. The two began to walk away before she stopped to turn back around. "Commander," she said as Riley turned back to face her. "Thank you."

...

As the_ Moreh_ began approach to the Citadel, the Quarian communications officer asked for the Commander's help. "Citadel control to Quarian vessel, please state your business," asked the Alliance Traffic Control Officer. "This N7 Operative Commander Riley on board the Quarian Ship _Moreh. _We have permission to dock per Admiral Anderson's request. Security code 38459." "Security code accepted, Commander Riley. Please direct your helmsman to dock A, port 4." The ship glided past the Alliance cruisers on patrol and eased into the docking bay. As the ship came to a stop, the boarding array extended to the airlock and latched on. The airlock door opened as Admiral Xen, Selene, Riley, Taylor, and Allan departed the _Moreh. _

Admiral Anderson was waiting for them as the human crew finally took their helmets off. "Finally! I thought my head was going to get stuck in that thing," said Allan. "Well, you're not the one with long hair," said Taylor. Riley shook hands with Anderson as the two approached each other. "It's nice to see you arrived in one piece, Commander. I'm afraid there's not much time so we better get going." Selene waited behind to say good-byesto Admiral Xen. "Good luck Selene'Eesa. The Migrant Fleet wishes you well on your Pilgrimage," she said. "Thank you, Admiral," replied Selene. Selene rejoined the group as Admiral Xen walked back inside. The airlock doors shut and the boarding array detached, releasing the _Moreh_. The Quarian ship began to ease out of the dock and soared away to rejoin the Migrant Fleet.

"I take it you have a new recruit, Commander?" asked Anderson. "Selene volunteered her services as an engineer. She managed to convince me that the _New York _needed a Quarian machinist to get her ready for combat," said Riley. "And she's one hell of a shot," said Allan, who quickly became apprehensive. "With all due respect, sir," he said. Anderson grinned, staying relaxed. "Don't worry, Chief. I won't court martial you for speaking casually in uniform." "Thank you, sir," said Allan as he relaxed. "Like I said, we don't have much time to waste. I'll take you to the _New York._ We've replaced most of your belongings from the _Vancouver _so it should feel a little familiar," said Anderson as he walked to the elevator. Riley and his squad followed and rode the elevator down to the lobby, where civilians and military personnel waited for flights, assignments, and other events.

The five approached a window looking out into the dry dock, Admiral Anderson stopped and looked at the Alliance cruiser immediately out of the window. "Here she is, Riley. Your first commanding position. Treat her well, and she'll get you out of anything," said Anderson. Riley looked at the newly refitted cruiser. She wasn't in good flying shape, but her ablative armor was brand new, and the main guns were primed for testing. All of the major components were just outfitted in the cruiser. The name "New York" shimmered on the side panel in large white lettering on a blue background as a Worker Bee repair craft ran alongside the hull. "When will she be ready?" asked Riley. "Within the hour, Commander." Anderson turned to him as Riley faced him. "Good luck, Commander. With Shepard discharged you're our best bet against Cerberus." The two shook hands before Anderson left for the _S.S.V. London. _"Something tells me I'm going to have some fun working on this ship," said Selene.

The squad boarded the _New York_ as the maintenance crew was working on the interior. It was quite a bustle on board as the refit was being rushed. "Selene, go down to engineering. See what you can do to help speed things up. Taylor, work with the bridge crew to get things ready for departure. Allan, do a stock of all weapons, ammunition, and armor. I want this ship spaceworthy within in the hour," said Riley The squad disbanded as each officer attended to their duties. Riley walked to the elevator and rode up to the captain's quarters to look for his replacement dress uniform. He found everything to be in decent order and started prying off his armor.

On the bridge, Taylor had just finished the last of the computer console refits. "Bridge to engineering, all systems operational, We're ready to begin power conduit testing," she said. Down in engineering, Selene finished most of the power distribution refits. "Engineering to bridge, we can't get power to the weapon systems just yet. The current system is calling for too much power for the circuits to handle. Other than that, everything is operating within specifications," she said. "Noted. Thanks for the heads up, Selene," replied Taylor.

Riley arrived on the bridge in dress uniform and walked up to the galaxy map, assuming control of the bridge and initiating departure sequences. "Attention all decks, activate drive core and prepare for departure." The bridge crew immediately began launch procedures as the docking clamps released the _New York. _The ship eased away from the dock, showing off its new plating to civilians watching it from the lobby. As the primary engines engaged, the cruiser backed out of the dock and left the bay, heading for the Citadel's Mass Relay. "Set a course for Aite," said Riley. "Aye, sir. Course plotted and laid in. Approaching the relay now." As the ship neared the massive array, an arc of pure energy split off of the gyroscopic assembly in the middle of the relay and hit the cruiser. The engines charged to capacity and the ship lurched forward, leaving a trail of exhaust behind.

"FTL speed and core temperature are stable. We are heading for the Phoenix Massing relay at maximum velocity," said the operations officer. Riley stepped down from the Galaxy Map platform. "Taylor, round up the senior officers of the skeleton crew. I think it's time we do some assigning.

In the conference room, Commander Riley was standing at the end of the table as Taylor, Selene, and Allan were sitting on his left. The four highest ranking officers were sitting on his right. "As you know, we have a minimum crew, but our mission is of the upmost importance," he said. "Dr. Puri, you know your role. I don't think we'll be replacing you any time soon as Chief Medical Officer." "Yes, Captain. The medical staff is ready for action," said the young doctor. "Good. Hopefully we won't require your services, doctor. Commander Belle, given that you have second highest rank along with the most command experience and my personal favoritism, I am assigning you to First Officer. Keep the crew focused but don't psyche them out," said Riley. "Thank you, sir," said Taylor as she rose to shake hands with Riley. "Allan, you've got security and tactical until I can find a better ship weapons expert," said Riley. "You got it, Skipper," said Allan. Lieutenant Olson, Selene'Eesa, you both did a great job getting the _New York _ready on time, but due to the fact that Mr. Olson is more experienced with Alliance ships, I am assigning him to Chief Engineer. Selene, you will be his assistant," Riley continued. "Yes, sir." said Olson. Selene simply nodded, thinking he made a terrible mistake. "Mr. Gregory, I've looked at your flight record, and I'm not impressed. Nevertheless, you're the only pilot we have. Get better at the job before I start looking for new pilots." Lieutenant Gregory looked somewhat somber, but replied. "Yes, sir. I'll work on it."

"Now that you're all here, let's go over the mission ahead." Riley walked over to a wall which had a large display on it. He activated it and brought up a small map of the galaxy. "Our assignment is to locate and take down Cerberus facilities and operatives. We also have to keep on the look-out for defectors who may be willing to give information and assist us in future operations. From what we've gathered from Commander Shepard's report we know that there is, or rather was, a research and development base on Aite. This is where Project Overlord was attempted." Commander Riley paused and let Taylor continue the briefing.

"Project Overlord was aimed toward creating a human interface with a Geth VI in order to control it. Unfortunately, the human test subject named Davide was unable to maintain control and the Geth started taking over the facility. Commander Shepard was able to shut down the VI and free the subject before the testing killed him. Alliance forces were tipped off about the facility and found Archer, who is now at Grissom Academy." Riley took over as Taylor sat back down. "The Alliance left the base behind without intel due to the extreme coding of Cerberus computers. We have been sent to recover as much information as we can before Cerberus does a clean-up operation," he said. "Are there any questions?" he asked. "What about restoring power to weapons?" asked Selene. "We'll worry about that later. We can't divert the resources without taking communications offline and integrating the new grid. Any other questions?" The room remained silent with no hands raising or voices calling. "Dismissed." said Riley. One by one, the room became empty as everyone returned to their stations. Riley stayed behind and waited until everyone was gone before returning to the bridge.

On the bridge, the operations officer spotted something out of place. "Commander, I've detected an anomaly of some sort on our trajectory," he said. "Can you tell me anything more?" asked Riley. "No, sir. It seems to be-" The ship shook as it was dragged out of FTL by an unknown energy burst. Crewmen were tossed from where they were standing and officers held on to their seats. Riley struggled to stay standing as he held onto the guard rail by the Galaxy Map. As the crew was able to recover, Riley stood upright and brought up the main situation display in place of the map. "Report!" he demanded. "Something dragged us out of FTL, sir. I have two Cerberus cruisers on sensors." yelled the operator over the rumbling of the hull. "All hands, red alert! Report to general quarters immediately!"

Down in engineering, Selene was digging herself out from beneath a pile of metal. When she got out she spotted Engineer Olson with blood flowing from his neck. He was hit with metal shards in the face and neck, instantly killing him. "Engineering to bridge, Olson is dead. Power to the engines has been drained and weapons still aren't functional." Riley spoke up on the channel. "This is the bridge, maintain power to communications. We're trying to get a signal out." Selene looked at the power flow to communications. She saw the problem with the weapons power distribution and knew how to solve it in minutes. All she needed was to disable external communications. "Negative, I'm going to restore power to weapons," she said, prying off a panel to start working on the power network. "Engineering, do not, I repeat, do not proceed with your repairs!" demanded Riley. Selene ignored his order and kept working on the power network.

Back on the bridge, another problem was starting. "Selene! Damn it!" yelled Riley. "Commander, external communications are down. I'm detecting small craft moving from the cruisers. They're shuttles and attack fighters," said the operations officer. "Riley to Dunnae, get your teams ready for intruders. All fighters, prepare for launch." As the disabled cruiser drifted in space, the small Cerberus shuttles landed in the main shuttle bay and dropped off their payload: large teams of Cerberus troopers. The pilots were able to launch their fighters before the troopers got to the launching apparatus. Five Alliance fighters formed up and used the cruiser as cover before turning around and engaging the Cerberus fighters.

Back on board the _New York_, tension was heating up as Selene rushed to get the weapons online. The bridge was the first area to be hit as the crew scrambled for cover. Riley was behind a wall using an M-3 Predator hand gun to pick off Cerberus troops as they attempted to take the bridge. "Security to Deck 1, the bridge is under fire!" said Riley. "Computer, engage emergency lock out. Security code Belle143." called out Taylor as the primary consoles went offline. Mr. Gregory tried to make run for better cover behind a wall, but took a shot to the head and fell to the floor.

As Selene continued to work on the power conduits, she heard an explosion at the door. She engaged her omni-tool and activated her combat drone. Selene took cover near the fusion core and waited as Cerberus troops made their way inside. She fired off a few shots, bringing the first three troopers down. One assault trooper returned fire before being chastised by a Centurion. "Watch your fire! If you hit the core, we all go," said the Centurion before throwing a smoke grenade in. It went off right next to Selene as she activated her helmet's thermal view. She continued work on the conduit and finally managed to couple it to the weapon systems. All she had to do now was initiate the powering sequence. She engaged her omni-tool and came under fire again as the smoke faded. She started firing off shots from behind cover while trying to concentrate on her work.

Back on the bridge, Riley ran out of ammunition as Dragoons started to enter the bridge. He threw away his pistol and powered his biotic barrier. "Not today, you don't!" he yelled. Riley charged at the first dragoon and hit him with a Warp blast, followed by a Nova punch to his gut, sending him flying. He used his omni-tool to hit the other one with a fire blast, followed by an Overload from Taylor that triggered an explosion, blowing the Dragoon's armor to pieces. Riley shot two more biotic pulses at the incoming troopers, pushing them both back into the wall.

In the corridor, Allan's security team was trying to contain the Cerberus troops and keep them from pushing back. "All units, keep laying down fire! We need to keep them from taking the bridge!" exclaimed Allan. The marines pushed forward, cutting off the flow of troops to Engineering and the Bridge.

As Riley and Taylor finished off the rest of the Cerberus troops on the bridge, they pushed their way down the corridors. Riley stopped before reaching the elevator down. "Taylor, I need you to stay up here while I help Allan regain control of engineering." Taylor didn't let him go easily. "Commander Riley, as executive officer I must ob-" "Object, yes I know. They're going to need a biotic down there and I'm not intent on just sitting here while my ship is being torn apart from the inside out. Stay here and wait until we can restore power to weapons. That's an order." Taylor was reluctant but acknowledged her orders. "Yes, sir." Riley walked into the elevator as the doors closed behind him.

Back in engineering, Selene had almost completed the boot-up sequence. A Phantom snuck up on her and was about to slash at her just before her head exploded. Selene looked up to see Riley who still had his pistol trained on the headless Phantom. Her omni-tool made a noticeable noise, turning her attention away from him. The boot-up was finally completed and weapons were operational. "Engineering to bridge, weapons are online. Fire at will." said Commander Riley.

Taylor had restored command access to the bridge as she received the order. The bridge crew got back to their stations and targeted the Cerberus cruiser. The _New York_ repositioned itself using emergency thrusters and started firing on the Cerberus ship using point defense turrets. Once the Thanix Cannon was trained on the opposing cruiser, it fired a large burst of energy which tore through the main gun. The blast also hit the munitions area which caused a large explosion. The whole front half of the ship was exposed, leaving a clear shot to engineering. "Fire again!" exclaimed Taylor. The ship fired in the exposed area which hit the main fusion core, causing it to erupt in a fireball, leaving nothing behind. The Alliance fighters picked off the remaining Cerberus attackers, and the last of the Cerberus troops were either captured or killed, leaving the shuttles for salvage.

...

Later, Selene was working in engineering on repairs as she received a message. "Riley to Selene'Eesa, please report to my quarters immediately." She left her work to one of the other crewmen and made her way up to the captain's quarters. As she exited the elevator, the first thing she saw was his desk next to the typical fish tank a commanding officer would have. Riley stood up from the desk and waited for her. She stood before him and braced for what he had to say. Riley seemed furious. "You disobeyed direct orders, disabled our only means of calling for help, and nearly blew out the entire power grid by not calculating the how much power the weapons would draw." Selene looked down as she felt like she was going to collapse. She feared he was going to toss her off then and there.

"But you saved our lives and a lot of time in the process." She looked up at him, feeling relieved. "You did a magnificent job today. Although I'm somewhat distressed our chief engineer and pilot were killed, I'm glad you took the liberty to do what you thought was right." Selene felt gratified that she did something right. "Thank you, Commander," she said. "I probably should have done this earlier, but I'm reassigning you as Chief Engineer and giving you a provisional rank of Lieutenant. Congratulations," he said shaking her hand. Selene was trembling a bit. She wasn't really sure how to take this sudden promotion. "Well, I don't mean to- I mean," She paused for a moment, regaining her composure. "Thank you, Commander." Riley nodded in approval. "Return to your post. We need to make sure we have all systems ready in case Cerberus has another surprise."


	3. Chapter 3: Hade's Dogs

**Chapter 3: Hade's Dogs**

The surface of Aite was predominately forests with sparse wildlife. It was quiet and serene as the Cerberus base was seemingly untouched. An Alliance shuttle swooped in, disturbing the silence, and landed at a pad near the entrance to Atlas Station. Riley stepped out after the shuttle door opened and looked up at the large doors to the Cerberus base. He walked to a control panel for those doors and used his omni-tool to hack the panel and open the doors. There was still a ways to the actual facility, so he boarded the shuttle once again as it took off and flew further into the station.

The shuttle floated down a chasm and landed on a pad that was near the main entrance, The shuttle doors opened again and the team exited the shuttle. They walked across a bridge from the pad as the shuttle left and entered a room that looked like some sort of lobby. Bodies were strewn about all over and different machines were damaged. "The testing chamber is this way. Our last report said that the computer core was directly underneath it," said Riley.

The four exited the room and continued further into the base, walking past more bodies and navigating past damaged sectors. Selene looked over the Geth that Cerberus used in particular, taking notes on the augmentations Cerberus performed on them. To prevent any possible causalities, they elected to take the maintenance tubes to the chamber as opposed to taking the more treacherous elevator which was reported to be "possessed."

Soon enough, the group made it to the testing chamber. The very center of the chamber was the actual project itself, meant to fully integrate a human being into a computer system. It looked painful to be inserted into, with large talons that appeared were meant to be inserted into the arms, and a collection of tubes and facial harnesses that would hold the subject in place. If anything, it looked more like an old Roman punishment technique. It was poorly lit and stained with blood. Most of it was the blood of security officers, but the stains on the equipment was the blood of David Archer, an unwilling test subject for Cerberus. Riley looked at the array and envisioned seeing him there. He saw a young man, in pain, and helpless as to what was happening to him. He wasn't just a human lab rat, he was being crucified. This only fueled his anger towards Cerberus and gave him a better reason to but a bullet in the Illusive Man's head.

"Riley, I've found access to the core," said Taylor from an access panel near the end of the array. Riley walked away from the center of the array and over to Taylor. "This is a link to the main computer core. It looks like it's been untouched," she said. "See if you can get anything pertaining to frequency broadcasts. If that doesn't turn up anything we'll look directly for anything regarding indoctrination," said Riley.

Selene was doing some investigating in a room near the testing chamber and noticed some Reaper samples that were left behind. She looked at one device in particular that seemed similar to the device they created on the _Moreh_. She recorded notes on her omni-tool and walked around more inside the room and found some data on the computer consoles. She browsed through and decided to make copies of as much data as she could, thinking that it could be useful once decoded.

Back in the main testing chamber, Taylor completed her scans of the main computer core and started downloading individual folders which contained information that may be useful. "How much longer do you think?" asked Riley. "About half an hour at least." She continued working on downloading the files.

Back in the room with Selene, the lights turned on suddenly as the station seemed to be reactivated. An alarm buzzed and alert lights began to go off. "Warning: Intruders Detected." said a robotic voice. Selene panicked and grabbed as much data as she could before running back to Riley and the team.

"What's going on?" asked Allan. Riley was about to hack a nearby console to find more information when he received a communication from the _New York. _"Commander Riley, there are Cerberus troops heading to your location. There is also a fleet on the far side of the planet that we didn't previously detect." "Copy that, _New York._ Riley out." Riley walked urgently to Taylor. "How soon can you get that data?" he asked. "I think I can get it down to five minutes," she said. Riley was about to reply when Selene ran inside, firing a few shots behind her. "They're here! Take cover!" she yelled. She leapt behind a wall as Riley put up his omni-shield and Allan started firing away.

Cerberus troops began pouring in from the corridor, walking straight into the line of fire Allan had set down for them. "Take this, you inhuman dogs!" The irony put a grin on his face, remembering back to Greek Mythology. He continued to lay down fire upon the troopers until he ran out of shots and needed another thermal clip. Selene gave him cover as she took out her Locust submachine gun and started firing away. Rather than simply letting lose a barrage of bullets, she conserved her ammunition and shot for the head, using small bursts.

A Nemesis Sniper took position near the corner, staying out of sight. A Centurion laid down a smoke screen, giving the Nemesis ample time for a shot. She used her thermal sights to aim as Selene tried to spot her first. The Nemesis fired and hit Selene in the shoulder, causing her suit to rupture. She yelped in pain as the shot grazed her arm, Falling back behind the wall, she grabbed the area where she was shot as the suit closed off that part of her body and started flooding the area with antibacterial fluid, making the wound sting more. "I'm hit!" she yelled over the channel. Allan got back up and started blind firing. The Nemesis returned fire, going for a headshot, but Allan's battlesuit deflected it. Allan retaliated and perforated the sniper with a barrage of projectiles. The Nemesis was blown back and hit the ground, forming a puddle of blood beneath her.

Riley looked over at Selene as she writhed in pain. Her suit wasn't made for combat and didn't have the necessary medical materials. He looked over at Taylor who looked up at him. "Don't worry. I'll be fine," she said. Riley got up and ran to Selene, keeping his shield up. He used some medi-gel to help heal the wound as she cringed. She sighed and looked up at him as he opened one of her pockets and got out a patch to seal the hole in her suit. "Thank you," she said as the pain started to dissipate. Riley helped her up and got his heavy pistol out. He dropped his shield and started firing at the Cerberus troopers as Taylor got up, finished with her download. "I've got the data," she said over the channel.

Riley put his shield back up and started firing from behind it, slowly pushing up along with Allan. Taylor ran up to the line with Riley and Allan to start putting out fire support. Selene followed up and stayed behind Riley's shield, firing a few shots from behind his cover with her good arm. Her condition deteriorated due to an illness she caught from the bacteria that entered her blood stream.

As they got to the landing pad, Riley called for the shuttle. "Riley to shuttle_, _we're at the LZ. Ready for extraction!" "Shuttle One to Commander Riley, I won't be able to pick you up but so soon. I've got Cerberus fighters on my tail." Riley was frustrated at this news. "Well, get them off of you. We don't have much time until the Cerberus fleet engages the _New York._" "Understood, Commander. Shuttle out."

Another alarm blared as more alert lights started to flash. "Warning: Self destruct sequence initiated. 60 seconds until core overload," said a robotic voice. "Why is it that everywhere we go something blows up?" asked Allan. Cerberus troops started flooding in the room and opening fire, Riley put his shield back up as Taylor and Selene took cover behind a set of containers. Allan remained standing and engaged Devastator Mode, which enhanced his shields and doubled the ammo capacity of his suit. He unleashed a flurry of fire power as Taylor started firing homing grenades. The fire grew in intensity as Riley's shield began to weaken. Once the shield broke, he started casting tech and biotic attacks left and right. He'd hit one trooper with a biotic push and the next one with an incendiary blast.

The shuttle soon arrived and opened its doors, ready to leave at a moments notice. Riley put up his shield again after it recharged as Allan helped Selene on board and Taylor soon followed. Riley was the last to run for the shuttle, but a grenade was tossed between him and the shuttle. He sprinted past the grenade and almost made it just before it exploded right behind him. He was launched in the air and blacked out as he hit the floor.

...

Riley shook his head as the world around him started to materialize. He looked around seeing the Reapers attacking Earth again, but so was Cerberus. Selene, Allan, and Taylor were at his side fighting the Reapers, but Riley was intent on attacking the Cerberus operatives. He started charging into them as Taylor looked back and called out to him. Riley couldn't hear her, and if he could, he wouldn't care. He attacked the troopers, knocking them down one by one and fueling his anger further. As he attacked each Cerberus trooper viciously, he started to feel anger overcome him.

When he struck down the last trooper, he looked behind him to see his team was completely wiped out. Allan was convulsing as he was profusely bleeding from his chest. Taylor laid dead on the ground in the grip of a Brute. Her helmet was split in the back as it was evident her skull was smashed in. Selene was the only one who was shown any mercy as she laid on her side with many rips in her suit as well as wounds. She pried off her mask and puked as the bacteria quickly overwhelmed her. She reached out to Riley as he looked on in horror.

He noticed something right next to him and turned to it to see a mirror. He couldn't believe his eyes as all he saw was a husk in N7 armor. He looked down at his hands which looked more like claws. He started to scream as he punched in the mirror, refusing to believe the horrid image as the world around him shattered with the mirror.

He woke up suddenly and sat straight up, looking around at the bright blurry room. As his vision cleared, he saw that it was the sick bay on the _New York. _Selene was sitting next to him recovering from an illness she caught from her wounds. Other than that, she was doing alright. "Commander, is something wrong?" she asked.

She sounded like her nose was stopped up, which was probably a correct assumption. She wasn't wearing her normal biosuit, but a less bulky black under-suit that allowed her free movement with an outer layer of velvet dark red decorative cloth wrapped around her. She had something on her wrist: A bracelet with a couple of tubes attached to it. Probably antibiotics and medicine to alleviate her illness. She seemed a bit more casual in her current attire; more relaxed.

"I'm fine. Just a bit shocked," said Riley as he sat up. He groaned a bit as he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. He walked over to Selene. "How long was I out?" he asked. "Almost a day," said Selene. "You took a nasty hit to the head and suffered a concussion. The doctor said you should be alright by now," she said. "What about you?" he asked. "I've got a fever, my sinuses are clogged to no end, and I've caught the worst possible disease a Quarian could live through, but I'm alive, thanks to you." she said. Her wounds seemed to have healed by now, thanks to military medicine.

She stood up in front of him and was unsure of what to do now. She wanted to embrace him and thank him for everything he's done, but it seemed unprofessional and unwarranted. She threw caution to the wind and tossed her arms around him, setting her head on his shoulder. He, on the other hand, simply stood there and looked down as she stayed close to him. He didn't hug back or say anything, he just stood as though he were an old Buckingham Palace guard. Riley didn't really feel anything now like he used to before the _Vancouver_ was destroyed. He felt that it was necessary to stay professional on duty, even in front of his old friends, Allan and Taylor. This was no different.

She let him go and took a step back. Her temperature jumped a degree or two as she blushed behind her mask. "I'm sorry, Commander. I didn't mean to- I just feel I owe you so much," she stammered. Riley kept his composure. "Relax, Selene. You're just a bit overwhelmed. I've done a lot for you, yes. but you have also proven you worth to me and the crew. We couldn't have gotten this far without you," he said. He pat her shoulder and walked out of sick bay, Selene only watched, showing subtle signs of attraction. She shook her head and looked down at the floor. She did have feelings for him, yes, but it didn't feel right to her to pursue them. It didn't seem like he cared much anyway. Maybe she just wasn't forward enough. She got back on the bed and laid down, trying to find a resolve.


	4. Chapter 4: Scientist Salarian

Chapter 4: Scientist Salarian

Lieutenant Commander Belle was standing on the bridge in full dress uniform looking over the status of the ship. The data they recovered was too encrypted for Alliance computers. Not even Selene could decipher it with her expertise in programming. After a vidcom conference between Commander Riley and Admiral Anderson, they were told to go to Sur'Kesh to ask for the assistance of the Salarian STG; the masters of deciphering data. The _New York_ entered orbit around Sur'Kesh as Commander Riley walked onto the bridge in full dress uniform. He stood next to Taylor as she watched over the replacement helmsman. He was a shuttle pilot who's had experience with piloting freighters. He was a good pilot, but they needed someone with more experience when it comes to battle.

"Standard orbit achieved sir. Salarian security is hailing us," he said. "I'll take care of it, Ensign," said Riley as he walked next to the pilot. The Salarian's voice was put through the speaker so Riley could hear. "_S.S.V. New York, _this is Padok Wiks of the Salarian STG. Please state your business." "This is Commander Jared Riley. We were sent here on orders from Admiral Hackett to request your assistance on an issue regarding Cerberus," said the Commander. "Please elaborate, Commander. We need to take the proper precautions before allowing you to bring any foreign materials to the planet's surface," replied Padok. "We've recovered data from one Cerberus's abandoned stations, but we can't decipher any of the encryption codes for it. We were hoping you would have equipment to bypass it," said Riley. "Stand by," replied the Salarian.

Riley stepped away from the pilot's console over to Taylor. "Well, if we can't get the Salarians to help us, we can certainly try the Migrant Fleet," he said. "Why are we even asking for the Salarian's help?" she asked. "They're closer, faster workers, and better equipped to handle something at Cerberus's level." he replied. "You have a point there, Jared, but I'm still not too sure about having that Quarian on board, or even asking the Quarians for help," she said. "They got us back to the Citadel in one piece. We can trust them. Or is trust not the thing you're implying?" he asked.

"No, it's just-" Taylor cut herself off and reorganized her thoughts. "I'm not comfortable with Quarians since we know they created the Geth. And the Geth are the reason for my little 'incident.'" she said aggressively while shrugging her left shoulder. Riley knew what she was talking about, but didn't see that as a reason. "Taylor, that's pure coincidence. Besides, Commander Shepard's report stated that the original Geth created didn't intend harm. The Geth we fought were under Reaper control. If there's anyone you should hate it's them," he explained. "They were banished from the Council for a reason, Jared! They have a history of making the wrong decisions. What if this Quarian screws up?" she asked getting hostile.

"This Quarian is not like other's you've seen, Commander," said a female voice. It was obviously Selene who had overheard the conversation. Jared and Taylor turned to face her, but before either of them could speak, she interjected. "Commander Belle, I don't intend to repeat the mistakes of my ancestors. Although our people are split between trying to honorably take back our home and taking responsibility for our actions, but my people don't speak for me; I speak for myself." She started encroaching on Taylor as if to target her individually. "If you can't accept that than you may as well toss me off at the nearest space port." Taylor was about to reply, but Riley intervened before anything escalated.

"That's enough, Lieutenant Eesa. You've made your point. Commander Belle, you are to stay on board for the duration of this mission. Keep an eye on things here while we make sense of this data. Lieutenant Eesa, report to the shuttle bay with Chief Dunnae and stand by for further instructions." Selene nodded and turned to leave the bridge as

Taylor stood, still trying to argue with him. "Commander, if she-" Riley silenced her simply by pointing at her. She knew this meant trouble and backed off. Even though they have been good friends for well over four years, this was uncharacteristic of her past behavior and demanded explanation, explanation that Riley didn't have time to explore. He walked off of the bridge to retrieve that data samples from the lab as Taylor stood on the bridge, staring of into deep space.

...

Down in the shuttle bay, Selene was waiting for Riley with Allan. She was fiddling around with the insignia that was given to her by the engineering crew as a gift while she was in sick bay. She looked up at Allan and tilted her head.

"So how long have you known the Commander?" she asked. "About two or three years I think. We're not exactly the best of friends but I can call him a comrade," replied Allan. "How exactly did you meet him?" she asked.

"I was assigned to the Vancouver back in 2184 as a part of Skipper's old strike team. He was a Lieutenant Commander at the time and still not an N7. At the time, he and Taylor were working on a plan to bust a drug ring that the Eclipse had going. It was lead by a vicious Asari named Azura L'Ianna: grand prize winner of the toughest bitch in the galaxy. As we walked on the main bridge, it seemed oddly quiet, like they finally caught onto it or something. Riley assigned Taylor to start looking in the computer while I wandered off to check out the cargo bay. Everything was still there; the Red Sand, the crates of weapons, and a shitload of stolen goods. But the whole ship was abandoned; or so I thought. Out of nowhere, I was hit by a blast from the corner of my eye. I went head-first into a pile of crates and wound up on my back. Before I could get on my feet, something picked me up and tossed me to the other end of the bay straight into a wall. It was the bitch herself tossing me around with her biotics like a rag doll. She picked me up and started choking me in the air. She started monologuing or something (I dont remember. I was too focused on not dying) until Skipper came busting in and slammed the Asari into the ground. I hit the ground and felt a nice crunch in my armor... Or was it my rib cage? Anyway, when I managed to get up, Riley and Azura were at it like two wolves fighting over territory," explained Allan.

"Wolves?" asked Selene. "They're like Varren only not as big and they got fur." "Ah. You were saying?" Allan continued with his story. "They were at each others' throats for maybe an hour, ripping holes in the ship and destroying the cargo. She was hell bent on killing him at that point, but it didn't change the fact that Skipper was better than her. He knew how to use her anger against her. When she tried charging at him, he whipped out his omni-shield and slammed her in the face hard enough that it smashed in her skull and broke her neck." Selene was imagining the spectacular event as Allan told the story, but that wasn't the only story he had.

"From that point I felt like I owed Riley my life. One day I owed him double that. Back in 2185, Our strike team was assigned to investigate an odd signal that was emanating in some deep sector of the galaxy. I can't remember where, but that's not the point. When we got there, all we found was a Cerberus facility. Riley, Taylor, and I infiltrated the facility to see just what they were up to, but we got caught and were immediately ambushed. There were so many Cerberus troops in the building, but Taylor managed to find a way out of the facility to the landing zone. We tried to wait out the shuttle some distance from the LZ, but Cerberus was close behind, and we'd be overwhelmed if we stayed any longer. Riley gave the order for us to go ahead and run, so we did, but he stayed behind, trying to hold them off as long as he could. We didnt realize he wasn't running with us until it was too late. He took hit after hit, still managing to stay up, and eventually fell under fire. He wasn't dead; our readouts said he still had a pulse. But there was too much pressure put on him. They captured him and tool him back to one of their bases."

"No wonder he hates Cerberus so much," commented Selene. "You have no idea. When Taylor and I were able to get him back, or rather help him with the rest of his escape plan, he told me about what they did to him. They tossed him in freezing cold weather, injected element zero into his blood stream, and poisoned his water supply until he stopped drinking period. They even strapped him in a chair and tried cutting him open. They weren't counting on his barriers staying up under the stress," continued Allan.

"I'm assuming you got him out," stated Selene. "Actually, no. He managed to get out himself. Well, part way. Taylor and I led an assault on the base to get him back. Of course, being as resourceful as all hell, The ol' skipper managed to find a break in their security and just started ripping things apart. Busted out of his cuffs, grabbed a gun, and got his omni-tool back. The strike team met him about halfway into the base. When we found him, he looked pretty ill. He didn't even act the way he used to. He went from being a great man to a cold and calculating killer. Whatever joy he had in life was gone, especially after they destroyed the _Vancouver_ recently."

Selene started to feel sorry for Commander Riley. He suffered through a lot, even before his most recent loss. As the Commander arrived in the elevator, she stood up to look over at him. He was holding a data drive and still in his dress uniform, obviously not expecting any conflict. As he walked over she decided to stay by his side and be there for when he needed the support. He may not want it, but she would give it anyway. "Are you two ready?" he asked. "Ready for anything, Skipper," said Allan. "I'm with you, Commander," said Selene. The Commander walked forth as the two followed him into one of the shuttles. The shuttle door closed behind them as the craft took off and headed for the planet's surface.

...

On the Surface of Sur'Kesh, a squad of Salarian STG soldiers were waiting for the shuttle's arrival. The tallest of the three soldiers spotted the shuttle as it pulled to a stop just above the landing pad. The shuttle eased down and opened the door, letting Riley, Allan, and Selene off. The three walked up to the Salarian greeting party as the officer in the middle stepped forward.

"Greetings, Commander Riley. I am Major Kirahee," he said. "I apologize if Operative Wiks seemed somewhat rude beforehand. He was only looking out for the safety of the homeworld." "It's quite alright, Major. As long as we can get the information we need from this data," said Riley as he handed Kirahee a data pad. Kirahee handed the pad off to the taller Salarian who made a quick examination of it, then nodded to Kirahee. "We will most definitely be able to assist you, Commander. Please follow me," he said. Major Kirahee walked into the facility as Riley's team walked in and examined with scenery. It was a mixture of exotic scenery and high class technology, showing the Salarian's amphibious background and modern scientific prowess.

Getting down to business, the six approached the information center of the complex: a room full of computers and monitors which displayed portions of the Salarian Information Network. There were several links, including many in the Eclipse, a mercenary group that Riley was very familiar with.

As they approached a terminal, the taller Salarian immediately began working as he linked the data pad to the main complex. A well known Salarian was watching him working from a distance and soon enough approached Riley. "Alliance N7, most likely Commander rank," he quickly said. He paused and took a breath through his nose. Riley was a little intimidated by his quick speech. "Mordin Solus. Scientist Salarian," he said. Riley relaxed as he was finally able to put an identity to the name. "It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Solus. I read Commander Shepard's report on your services. Very interesting," said Riley. "Excellent! Good to know Shepard giving team credit. Couldn't have defeated Collectors alone."

Mordin was about to continue rambling about their accomplishments but stopped himself short. "Might be able to assist. What sent you?" he asked. Riley went back to his serious tone at the question. "Cerberus. They destroyed one of our cruisers," he said. Mordin took on the same tone. "Serious matter indeed. Will examine data once deciphered," he said. "Already done, Doctor," said the taller Salarian. "Thank you, Torik. Timing excellent as usual," said Mordin.

Major Kirahee and Mordin Solus walked up to the terminal as Torik walked to Commander Riley. "Torik Lorran, STG Marksman and Infiltration officer," he said. "Thank you for your assistance, officer Lorran," said Riley. "Marksman, eh? Think you might be up for some sharpshooting?" Torik grinned at the statement. "I'd say yes any other time, but I'm about to go on an assignment," he said. "You might want to bring the humans with you, Torik. Cerberus is involved," said Kirahee as he looked at the monitor.

Riley and Torik walked to the monitor as Torik appeared alarmed by what he saw. It was a mission report mentioning the kidnapping of Salarian colonists from planet Halegeuse. "This definitely explains the disappearances," said Kirahee. "Need to send team immediately. Colonists in danger," said Mordin urgently. "Commander Riley, I hope you don't mind if we ask a favor in return," said Major Kirahee. "If it involves Cerberus we'd be glad to help," said Riley. "It appears as though Cerberus has been kidnapping civilians from Haleguese, one of our colonies further away from here. We need you to take Lorran and put an end to their activities," said Kirahee. "Consider it done. What about the rest of the data?" asked Riley. "Need time to process information. Critical to fully analyze schematics and mapping. Possibly more information hidden within," said Mordin. "Once we have all of the information decoded and verified, we'll send it to you," said Kirahee. "We'll be on our way then," said Riley. "Thank you again, Commander," replied Kirahee.

...

On the _New York_, Allan escorted Torik to his quarters as he set his duffel bag on the bed. "If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to give me a ring," he said. "Thank you very much, Chief, but I think I'm alright for now," said Torik. As Allan turned to leave, Torik turned back wanting to ask a question. "Actually, Chief Dunnae, I do have a question. I noticed that your Commander is relatively... Unstable. Are you sure that he's still command material?" Allan walks in and sighs. He thinks for a moment and then retorts. "I've known Riley for a while now, and even though he may seem cold and out for blood, he can get the job done better than anyone else. Maybe even better than Commander Shepard." The conviction in Allan's words put Torik at ease for the time being as he nodded, smiling back. "Thank you, Chief Dunnae," said Torik. "Please, call me Allan."


	5. Chapter 5: Missing in Action

Chapter 5: Missing in Action

Haleguese was a gas giant that a Salarian mining company once profited greatly from centuries ago. After the company was sold off, it became simply another location in a chain of mining stations. An Alliance shuttle which carried Riley, Allan, Selene, and Torik pulled through the radiation shield as it entered one of the moons that surrounded the gas giant. Inside was a vast expanse filled with buildings and cities as though it were a planet that turned inside out. The shuttle glided past a few towers and then landed on a pad that extended from one of the towers. The doors opened as the squad exited the shuttle in combat armor.

A red skinned Salarian walked up to greet them as Torik walked ahead seeming somewhat excited. "Jurot! How nice to see again, old friend!" exclaimed Torik. "Torik?" said the Salarian with a surprised tone. "I didn't expect to see you here. Aren't you with the STG?" he asked. "I'm conducting a mission for them. An Alliance crew is providing their assistance," said Torik. "Yes. I heard that they were coming to investigate. Please work quickly, though. I'm on a very tight schedule and need to maintain the status quo for my company. I hope you understand," said the Salarian. "Of course, Jurot. I know this company means a lot to you and your clan," said Torik.

Torik turned back to rejoin the squad as the other Salarian introduced himself. "Commander Riley, I'm Station Master Jurot Delas. I run the mining facilities here." "Jurot and I grew up together. We each followed our fathers' paths. Mine was a military leader, his was an entrepreneur," said Torik.

"We were able to acquire data from a Cerberus base. It contained information related to the disappearances on the colonies here," said Riley. "Are you certain, Commander?" asked Delas. "I nearly lost one of my best soldiers trying to get that data. I'm fairly certain they're involved," said Riley. Selene felt gratified by the compliment as Delas replied. "Well, if you do find any Cerberus operatives, I'm allowing you to use any means necessary to neutralize them." "Thank you, Mister Delas. I believe we'll be on our way," said Riley

...

The team started their investigation in Delas's office. Torik was looking through Delas's records as Selene was scanning through the room for any suspicious readings. Allan liked to use his eyes when it came to looking for evidence. Riley was searching through any of the findings they had and trying to connect them in some way.

"One of your best soldiers, huh Riley?" commented Selene. "It's not often I play that card, but I do. You do work hard enough, that's for sure," said Riley. "Here's an idea. If you fake your death he can say he lost his best engineer," joked Allan. "I'm not sure whether I should feel grateful or wary," said Selene.

"I think I've found something," said Torik. "Delas has a list of all of the missing workers and their addresses. The list also has information on where they were last seen." "We should probably start from there and examine the crime scenes," said Allan. "There might be more information here to look at, Riley. I wouldn't waste this opportunity while we have it," said Selene. "This office will still be here when we get back. It's not like Mister Delas will start wiping fingerprints," said Riley.

The team moved out of the office, making sure it was locked before heading to the first location: a robotics lab on the east wing of the building. It was taped off due to police still investigating the scene, but that didn't stop them from walking past it. Selene began her scans as usual and Torik started looking for computers and data packages to skim through. Allan was the first to find anything.

"Looks like he put up a bit of a fight before getting dragged off," said Allan as he picked up a soldering iron. It was already cold, so he picked up the ends being careful not to smudge any prints. Selene walked up to scan over it and got some detailed information. "He's right. The Salarian who used it gripped it tight enough to leave a detailed print," said Selene. Allan put down the iron as Selene confirmed the prints to be the abducted worker's.

"This is strange," said Selene. "The melted material on the iron isn't metal, it's organic. Whoever he was being attacked by didn't have armor on. In fact, I think the attack might be another Salarian." Torik was surprised by this turn of events. "Are you sure?" asked Riley. "Definitely, Commander. The basic DNA structure isn't human," she replied. "That makes sense. Why leave evidence tracing back to yourself when you can get someone else to do the dirty work?" said Allan. "The only question is, who here would work for Cerberus?" asked Torik. "And why?" asked Riley. "Keep record of this. Let's move to the next location."

Riley and his team began to search through an apartment complex that housed one of the missing Salarians. Allan started asking around; seeing if anyone in the neighborhood saw what happened. Selene continued scanning as Torik started hacking into the computer. Riley was searching for any evidence just outside of the apartment.

"There's nothing much on his computer. It was turned off at the approximate time of abduction," said Torik. Allan was walking in as he said this. "Neighbors don't know anything about it either. Whoever did this either works with the Shadow Broker or was very observant," said Allan.

Selene walked out of the bathroom with interesting news. "I think I've found something. Whoever did this got sloppy and left the drugging agent behind," she said, holding up a tube that was half full. Riley entered through the front door. "I scanned the front door for prints. I found a few that don't match the victim's," Selene scanned the prints on the tube with her Omni-tool. "I'll send you the prints I collected, Jared," said Selene before sending him her data. He started comparing scans and found a match that closely resembled the fingerprints on the tube. He combined the results to create a cleaner print. "Excellent. We can use this to find out who the abductor is," he said.

Riley linked up his Omni-tool to the extranet and began a cross-examination search to see whose prints they were. "It'll take some time to get results. Let's take a look at the other locations and see if we find any traces of Cerberus being here."

The squad moved to a processing plant where the mined gas was brought to for inspection, packaging, and transportation. This area was the most recent abduction site and was closed down prior to the investigation.

The area was too big for the four to delegate tasks, so each of them were performing their own searches. As Riley inspected the packaging area, Selene looked over the inspection area and Allan searched the loading dock. Torik was searching the more obscure places in the room.

Allan felt like someone was watching them from far away. He stopped his scanning and looked out the window seeing a red line running from Torik to a building across from them. "Torik! Get down!" yelled Allan. Torik looked up and leaped to the side as a bullet tore through the window and hit where he was previously sitting. Riley and Selene took cover as Torik and Allan pulled out their rifles to find the shooter.

Allan managed to catch a glimpse of a Nemesis Sniper just before she moved away from the window. "Cerberus is here, Commander. They know we're close to finding who did this," he said. Selene looked over at the counter she was behind and found a thermal clip marked with a Cerberus logo. "I've found a thermal clip. It's Cerberus issued," she said. Riley's omni-tool beeped as the results from the cross-exam came up. "We need to find a safer location. I've figured out what's going on here," said Riley.

...

The four gathered in the shuttle to compare notes. "So we know a Salarian is involved in the disappearances," said Allan. "And that Cerberus is behind them, probably using these Salarians as indoctrination test subjects," said Torik. "And we have the prints for who was behind the disappearances," said Selene. "Who's prints are those exactly?" she asked.

Riley pulled up the results on his omni-tool and showed them to the team, revealing the face of Station Master Delas. "What?" asked Allan. "Keelah," said Selene. Torik watched in disbelief. "N-no! That can't be right. I know Jurot. He wouldn't do this," "The evidence lines it all up. Your old friend is a traitor," said Riley. Torik started pacing as he thought it all over. Every fiber of his being thought this was wrong, but he had to face facts. "I'm still not convinced. Maybe we should perform a stake out, in case someone's trying to frame him," said Torik. "I'm with the Commander on this, Torik. But if this makes you more comfortable then maybe we should go ahead and wait a day. Keep an eye on the colony," said Allan. "I'll enlighten your curiosity, Mister Loran, just so we can clear your conscious," said Riley.

Later that night as the lights of the city dimmed, Riley and his team deployed themselves throughout the work complex as the day came to a close. Riley and Selene were deployed near the docks as Allan and Jurot were posted high up in sniper positions. "_New York _to Commander Riley, we have the ground team on sensors and we're tracking for any anomalous signatures," said Taylor over communications. "Copy that, _New York_. Riley out."

Riley kept watch at the window of one of the control centers as Selene was resting at the chair. She had her head propped up with her arm and was looking over at Riley as he kept watch. She eventually found herself lost in thought as she imagined how he'd be like before Cerberus captured him. He was probably a nice guy back then, being friends with his fellow officers and such. She didn't realize she was staring at him as he was calling for her attention. "Selene?" he asked. "Huh? Wh- Oh. Yes, sir. What it is it?" she asked. "If you're too tired you can go ahead and try sleeping," he responded. "No. I'm alright. Just a little... Distracted," she said.

He nodded and continued watching outside. His eyes narrowed as he picked up on something suspicious. It appeared to be two Centurion Troopers with a squad of Assault Troopers. "Might want to get focused. We've got a Cerberus squad. Riley to _New York, _have you detected anyone entering the moon?" asked Riley. "Nothing apart from the usual transports," said Taylor on the other end. "They must be using one of their product transports. Start performing intensified scans on any ship entering or leaving the moon," he said. "Aye, sir. _New York _out." Selene stood up and looked down at the Cerberus squad. "Should we start now?" asked Selene. "No. We need to wait until Delas, or whoever is working with them come out to begin the exchange," said Riley. "Commander, I've just received an abduction report. Another Salarian disappeared about three hours ago," said Torik. "We've got a Cerberus squad in the shuttle bay, Torik. See if you and Allan can make your way here," said Riley. "I'm on it, Commander."

"Where's that Salarian?" asked one of the Assault Troopers. "We were told there were Alliance soldiers. If we're here too long they might obtain another data cache." "We still have time before he gets here. He might have finally started cover his tracks this time," said one of the Centurions.

Two Salarians entered the docks and headed to the squadron. One was unconscious as the other dragged him. "I'm getting of having to do this dirty work. Don't you have enough subjects?" asked the Salarain. It was Jurot Delas, just as Riley suspected.

Over in the control center, Riley was confirming the Salarian's identity. "So it is him. Torik won't be happy to see this," said Selene. "Get ready to hit 'em hard," he said. "Don't worry, Commander. Thanks to the suit upgrade, I won't be holding you back," she said. "Good. Let's go," said Riley as he cocked his pistol. The two bounded out of the front door and began their assault. Selene hit Delas with a neural shock and Riley stopped a majority of the troopers with his biotics by slamming them into the wall. One of the Assault Troopers was able to get out a call for help before Selene finished him off. "Get ready for more, Commander!" she yelled.

Another squad of Cerberus troops entered the docks as Selene and Riley finished off the first group. Selene fired an overload pulse from her omni-tool that chained from one trooper to another, rendering them defenseless. This gave Riley enough time to run up and slam each one of them with his omni-shield. "Good work, Lieutenant. You're ground combat is starting to shape up," said Riley. Selene smiled behind her mask as he shot down two more troopers.

As Selene and Riley were fighting the main group, a Nemesis sniper was preparing to fire from a far building. Before she even had a chance to scope her target, her head exploded from an anti-material round. Torik kept his eye out for her ever since she first took a shot at them at the processing plant, and it paid off.

Riley and Selene kept bringing down Cerberus Troopers as Allan joined the fight. He pulled out his Typhoon and unleashed a flurry of bullets at a grouping of enemies. His missile launcher finished off whoever was still standing as the human tank wiped the floor clean. Selene and Riley watched as he brought down the rest. "Why haven't you done that before?" asked Selene. "Didn't have the right conditions. Do you know how hard it is to find every last enemy out in the open?" said Allan with a smirk. Torik was the last to enter as Torik lay on the ground, still disabled to some degree.

"Jurot!" yelled Torik. "Shit," said Delas as he was getting up. Torik walked up to him and pointed his side arm at his face. "Why did you do it? Why did you sell your employees, innocent people, to Cerberus? How could you have done such a thing to people you've lived aside all your life?" he demanded. "You don't understand. They threatened me. Cerberus said they would take away my family for their experiments before they started with anyone else. I had no choice!" pleaded Delas. "You could have asked for help! You could have told me," said Torik. "I know, Torik. I'm sorry. I didn't want to pull you into this, but I didn't think that you would show up anyway. The circle of life will not be kind to me in the next term, but I deserve it," said Delas. He closed his eyes, thinking Torik would pull the trigger.

Torik looked at his former friend and thought it over for a minute. He closed his eyes and sighed. "No," he said as he lowered his weapon. "Everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves. Even you." Riley was not impressed by this and aimed his pistol at Jurot.

"Funny, because that's not what I think," he said. Allan and Selene started to worry as Torik turned around to see him. "No! I won't let him die because of your judgment!" Torik raised his pistol once again and aimed it at Riley. Allan and Selene pointed their weapons at Torik as the four had a standoff. "Stand aside, Officer Lorran," said Riley. "I can't do that, Commander. Killing him isn't the right thing to do. You may not think so, but I do," replied Torik. "He's right Jared. We need to take him into custody," said Allan.

Riley looked at Allan out of the corner of his eye and then looked back to Torik. He lowered his weapon as the other three lowered theirs in response. He glared at Allan for a moment before walking away. Allan approached Torik and assisted him in arresting Delas. "Sorry about that, Torik. He normally wouldn't do something like that," he said. "At least he didn't something I wouldn't forgive him for," replied Torik.

...

Riley stood in the captain's quarters in battle dress uniform and stared out of the window, thinking to himself. He started drifting into his memories of when he was captured and tortured, remembering the pain, the hatred, and the lack of remorse for anything that happened. He started feeling the pain come back, feeling the need to simply strike something just to end it. He started walking around with one hand clenching his head as all that he could think about was justice finally being served. "Enough!" he yelled out. He punched the glass model case behind him which shattered completely, taking out his models of the _S.S.V. Vancouver _and the _S.S.V. New York_ in the process.

He looked down at the mess he made as the synthetic door chime rang. "Come in," he said. Allan walked through the doors in his battle dress uniform, first noticing the mess that Jared hade in front of him. "Accident?" he asked. "You could say that," replied Riley. "You know, Skipper, you haven't exactly been yourself lately. I mean, I know it's pretty obvious that you're mad but this is getting redicul-" "Get to the point, Chief," snapped Riley. Allan stared at him for a minute as he looked for the right words, which came to him faster that he thought. "This isn't you, Jared. You're not the man I knew that would lay down his life for his friends anymore. You've turned into a cold blooded prick for crying out loud," he said. Allan almost got angry at his friend and commander, but he needed this. "Are you speaking to me as a soldier?" asked Riley. "I'm speaking to you as a comrade. A friend. Remember when we used to be able to have fun doing our job? You've let this get to you. I mean, when you're not looking over the bridge crew you're brooding up here like the dark knight. What's next? You gonna buy a cave back on Earth and get a dark menacing costume?"

Allan calmed down and walked over to Riley. He set a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. Jared looked back with a more twisted expression, but none the less he saw his point. He looked back down and sat in his chair as Allan backed off. He began to ponder whether or not he was right and sighed. "Thank you, Mr. Dunnae, that will be all." Allan simply left without a word, but glanced back at his commander before clearing the door which closed behind him. Jared looked back up and then out to the window. He looked at his reflection which resembled more of a husk than anything. He shook his head and looked at it again, only showing himself. _What am I becoming?_


	6. Chapter 6: Asset Recovery

Chapter 6: Asset Recovery

The clank of metal could be heard throughout the gym as well as the footsteps of two combatants. No one else was in the gym as Riley and Taylor sparred with each other through the art of fencing. Taylor was being much more aggressive today, and more threatening to Riley's position. "You what!?" she screamed as she parried to the left. "Torik asked if he could join the crew," said Riley as he deflected her strikes. "We need the man power. We could use him," he said between breaths. "That doesn't mean we need him! We can handle ourselves!" yelled Taylor as she thrust right into Riley's chest, causing the computer to beep and giving her a point. It was a best out of 5 game. First to 3 points wins.

The two setup for round two as the computer beeped again to start the match. Riley made a strike this time as Taylor deflected it and found herself pinned down in the corner of the arena. "Just because the Alliance has a powerful military doesn't mean we shouldn't ask for help," said Riley. "But Cerberus is our problem. We need to deal with them ourselves," said Taylor as she left herself wide open. Riley took this opportunity and struck her right in the chest. Point for Riley.

Round three began rather quickly and became much more intense. Taylor started to strike repeatedly as she yelled, "What if Cerberus really is trying to help? What if we can get information and technology from them that we need?" "You know why we can't do that!" yelled Riley. "Because they're criminals to the Council? Screw the Council! This is our problem only! They need to keep their freaky hands off of it!" she screamed as she struck Riley hard enough to give him a bruise. Riley groaned as he took a knee. He took his mask off then glared up at her. She simply turned around and waited for him. He got back up and put his mask on as the two readied again.

As round four began, Riley felt confident. There was less rage and less distractions. "I honestly don't care what you think of the Council," he said as he made a parry to the right and came back up to deflect one of her blows. "But we can handle this problem ourselves!" she yelled as he started to bear down on her. He struck her in the chest as point two came up for Riley, making the score a tie.

The final round began as Taylor started the attack, with Riley successfully blocking and deflecting every one of her strikes, gaining footing as they progressed. "Sometimes you just need to accept help, Taylor. You can't expect to win everything yourself," he said as he started his offensive. "And if you think that we have a better chance of allying with Cerberus, than you are dead wrong!" he yelled just before making the final blow. He struck her foil out of her hand and slashed her arm, tearing the first layer of fabric. The computer counted that as a point as Riley won the match, but also hurt his XO. Taylor rubbed her shoulder just above her prosthesis started to bruise. Riley took his mask off keeping his eye on her as a voice came up on the comms. "Torik to Commander Riley, you have a priority communication from Admiral Anderson. He's requesting a vid conference," "Thank you, Torik. I'll be up there in a minute," said Riley as he packed away his fencing gear.

...

In the vid com room, Admiral Anderson's image appeared before Commander Riley. "Commander Riley, we have a new assignment we need you to start as soon as possible. Once it's complete, you can resume your investigation on Cerberus," he said. "What's the situation, Admiral?" asked Riley. "The Turian Hierarchy is asking for our help with locating one of their soldiers named Lantos Nasanor. He was captured by Cerberus when an infiltration mission went awry. Being one of our most experienced soldiers with Cerberus, I assume you'll be able to get him without any problems," said Anderson. "Do you have any coordinates we can start off of?" asked Riley. "We do. His last signal was made in the Attican Traverse somewhere in the Hekate System of the Hades Nexus. I suggest you start there," Riley nodded as he was about to leave. "Thank you, Admiral. We'll be on our way," Anderson replied before he turned around.

"One more thing, Commander. It's rumored that your father killed Lantos's father in the First Contact War when the _New Delhi_ was raided by a Turian marine contingent. He probably will have a hard time accepting help from an Alliance crew," he said. "Thank you, sir," said Riley. "I wish you luck, Commander. Anderson out." The Admiral's image faded as the room's lights returned to full brightness.

Riley walked out onto the bridge and up to the Galaxy Map, setting a new coordinates. His squad was also there, ready for any orders he had for them. "Helm, take us to the Hades Nexus. Maximum velocity," he said. "Aye, sir. Adjusting course," said the helm officer. "What's the new assignment?" asked Torik from one of the computer consoles. "Captured Turian. The Hierarchy wants us to go get him," said Riley. "Well, this is going to be interesting. I don't think I've met a Turian before," said Selene from the master situation display. The cruiser flew alongside a Mass Relay just before the Relay's energy arced to the ship and sent it racing across the Galaxy.

As the ship approached the Hades Nexus, the Communications Officer saw his console begin to flare up with several data streams, all with the same prefix code. "Commander, I'm intercepting what appears to be Cebrerus communications," he said. Riley looked to Torik as this was his profession. "Torik, go and see if you can help him find out where they're centered at. We might be able to use them to get a precise coordinates of the station." "I'm on it, sir," said Torik as he walked to the Comm officer's station. He started tapping in some commands as the ship slowed to slower than light travel, just passing by the Mass Relay for the nexus.

The _New York_ started heading deeper into the Hekate System as Torik started getting a more precise reading. "I think I've got a fix. If we could creep in just a little closer to the center of the system I can get a better fixation on which planet it is," said Torik as he kept working. "Helm, bring us five hundred kilometers closer to the Hekate Star and then bring us to all stop. Try not to exceed FTL, we don't want to attract any attention," said Riley from the Galaxy Map. The helm officer responded by easing the throttle and bringing the ship a little closer to the star. As the bare heat started to warm the hull of the ship, Torik managed to find the intersecting point of all of the communications.

"I've got it. You won't believe this, sir," said Torik. Riley walked closer to examine his readings over the Salarian's shoulder. "It's on Ker. Somehow Cerberus was able to put their base in a place that the local Batarians wouldn't notice." "Or they could have driven them out," said Allan. Riley tapped a few commands on a nearby panel. "Shuttle bay 1, prepare a landing party. Nitrogen-Helium atmosphere." He deactivated the console and looked up at his squad. "Allan, stay on board. The rest of you with me We'll slip him out and set det-packs to blow the station."

...

On the surface of Ker, the stillness of the area had become unsettling. The empty shanty towns were similar to abandoned settlements in the Old West of Earth, rotting, silent, and dull. The team had landed near one of these shanty towns and started hiking to the Cerberus facility in order to prevent from being seen on radar. It was important to keep a low profile so that they could get Mr. Nasanor out of danger as soon as possible.

Taylor began to tire out as they reached the halfway point. "How much longer do you think we'll have to walk?" asked Taylor through the comms. "About a mile longer. Just keep it up. We'll be there in no time," said Riley as he started up the hillside. Allan, Torik, and Selene all trucked along with him as Taylor started to fall behind occasionally.

...

About an hour later, the squad reached one of the outer buildings of the facility which appeared to be one of the lesser used buildings. On that wall was an air lock sporting the Cerberus logo and a control panel next to it. Riley motioned for Taylor to hack the control panel while Allan, Selene, and Torik kept watch. All five of them remained silent so as not to alert the Cerberus operatives inside.

Taylor pried open the panel after dampening the security locks with her omni-tool and began poking through, seeing which wires to re-route to get the door open and which ones to disconnect from the system to prevent people inside from seeing them enter. Eventually, she got the right combination and opened the door. She placed the panel back on the wall and removed any evidence that they were there.

The five ventured deeper into the Cerberus facility, scanning the area for Turian life signs. As they walked down a corridor, Allan couldn't help but notice the windows looking out into test chambers that had blood stains all over. Some chambers had blue Turian blood, while most others had red Human blood. This corridor was similar to the testing chambers that Riley was in during his time captive by Cerberus. Taylor grabbed samples of data wherever she could with her omni-tool, be it a nearby console or a data cache left behind.

As they neared a corner, Riley motioned for Torik to take point and check the corner. Torik nodded in reply and crept up to the corner, peering around the edge to check for enemy units. He noticed one Cerberus scientist who caught him peeking out. Torik leapt out from cover as the scientist was about to signal for help. Before he was able to get to the console, Torik used his omni-tool to deploy a neural shock to the scientist, sending him into a coma.

Riley walked out from behind the wall to see what happened. "That was close," he said. "Taylor, make sure he won't be able to call for help when he wakes up." Taylor acknowledged the command and walked to the scientist as the rest of the squad continued down the hallway to look for the detention area. Before she hid him in a nearby container, she scanned the scientists body and kept a record of the data.

The squad reached the detention area as Taylor caught up. There were no guards in sight and Torik had already disrupted the security systems before entering. Riley walked to the middle and of an intersection between corridors. There were three directions each of them could take, but no one knew which hallway had their Turian. He looked down each hallway and turned back to his team which was patiently waiting for him. "Selene, Torik, take the right hallway," he said pointing to his left. "Allan and Taylor, to the left. I'll take center," he said. The five started walking down their perspective hallways, checking each individual cell for the captive they were looking for.

As Riley scanned down the corridor, a trail on the floor caught his eye that he couldn't see before. The floor had a blue stain that ran down to a particular cell. He followed the trail and peered inside the cell, eyeing a Turian that was locked in a high security shell for biotic prisoners. He sat dormant inside of the shell as only his head poked out. Riley opened the door and walked inside, waking the Turian from his sleep. The alien looked up at Riley and narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm Commander Jared Ri-" "I know who you are. Just get me out of here and you can leave," said the Turian. "I'm assuming your Lantos Nasanor?" asked Riley as he paced in the cell. "Is this a rescue or an interrogation? Yes, I'm Lantos. What's it to you, human?" he asked. "Nothing. Just making sure we've got the right Turian," replied Riley as he stopped next to the orange glowing control panel.

He tapped a few commands on the panel which cause the shell to hiss as it let out steam from the hydraulic locks. The shell slowly opened, showing Lantos had been beaten and scarred from his time with Cerberus, much like Riley was during his capture. Lantos rose from his prison and started walking off. "Hold on a second," said Riley as he grabbed Lantos. The Turian shrugged him off and kept walking. "I can handle myself. human. You'll just slow me down," he said. In a flash, Lantos was already barreling through the walls of the Cerberus facility, setting off several security alarms in the process.

As the alarms blared, Two Cerberus troopers started storming down the hall, spotting Riley and opening fire. Riley took cover in Lantos' cell as Torik called up the team on the comms. "Alright, who set off an alarm?" he asked. "We haven't even touched a cell," said Allan on the other end. "Lantos is free, but he decided to do things his own way," said Riley. He turned the corner and use his biotics to push one of the Assault Troopers into the other. He ran up and double tapped each body to make sure they were down. He looked down the hallway to see Lantos had busted through the doors that the troopers came in. "Everyone on me. We're going to make sure Lantos gets a safe exit."

Further into the base, Lantos was using his biotic abilities to bring down troops left and right. Most of them were simple security grunts or armed scientists, not posing much of a threat. After wiping out an entire lab, he used one of the computers to find a map of the base. The map indicated that the shuttle bay was right next to the lab he was in, so he decided to take that route just before the doors inside the lab locked.

As Riley and his team approached the lab, the green hologram on the door changed to red, indicating that there was no way to enter. "Torik, Selene, find a way to either hack or force open the door. Allan, keep an eye on our six. Taylor, use that console to grab as much information as you can. Try to figure out where Lantos is heading," Each squad member went quick to work as Riley joined Allan to hold off the Cerberus troopers heading to their location. Allan pulled his Valiant sniper rifle off his back and started picking off enemy units one by one. As soon as an Assault Trooper or Scientist poked their head out, he'd put a hole right between the eyes. Riley wasn't wasting any ammunition and used his omni-tool to overload a nearby fuel relay that coated one whole side of the hallway in flames.

Meanwhile, Lantos had figured out how to break out of the lab. He started to lift several objects and started mashing them together, bending them into different shapes and sizes until he was satisfied. He lifted the construct and centered it on the door, He charged up his biotic powers and then unleashed them on the back end of the object, propelling it into the door.

Outside, Torik was working on hacking the locks when he heard a loud noise. He looked up at the door, and then over to Selene with a worried look on his face. He went back to hacking and started working harder as Riley and Allan kept guard.

Back in the lab, Lantos walked through the now opened door into the main shuttle bay and began taking out Cerberus operatives left and right. It didn't matter who they were as long it wound up dead. Little did he know that Cerberus had an ambush planned as two Atlas mechs walked in from a storage compartment. One fired upon Lantos, causing his biotic barrier to collapse. He ran behind a nearby set of crates, which sadly was not indestructible. One of Atlas's reach it's arm through the crates and grabbed Lantos, bringing him up so the pilot could watch as the hand slowly started to crush him. Lantos tried desperately to break free, but with no avail.

Torik had finally unlocked the door letting the squad inside. They ventured forth, locking the door behind them to see what looked like a collection of chairs, desks, and computers rearranged to be a giant spear which tore through the doors on the opposite side of the lab. Riley ran through the broken doors to see Lantos being crushed like a walnut. He lept up behind the Atlas holding onto Lantos, scaring the pilot and catching the other Atlas's attention. The other pilot locked onto Riley and opened fire. Riley jumped off of the Atlas he was on and avoided the fire as he landed safely on the ground. The Atlas holding Lantos took the brunt of the hits, causing it to stagger forward so as not to tip over. This gave Riley a chance to break Lantos free as he used his biotics to enhance his strength and pry the arms open.

Lantos groaned as he hit the ground, still sore from having his ribcage nearly collapse in on itself. Riley stood above him as the Atlas recovered from its stumble. Before the pilot had a change to lock on, Riley overloaded the Atlas's systems with his omni-tool, bringing the shields down. He pulled his Eagle heavy pistol from his side and fired two armor piercing rounds into the canopy of the mech, killing the pilot. The other Atlas pushed its counterpart aside as it zeroed in on Riley. The Commander put his omni-shield up as the Atlas fired, only to have its shots deflected.

The squad was able to use this time to take positions and was ready to assist. Selene walked up behind the Atlas and tossed two sticky grenades into its exhaust port. "Riley, she's gonna blow!" said Selene over the comm. She took cover behind a support pillar as the two grenades went off, causing collateral damage to the Atlas. Riley lowered his omni-shield as the mech started to collapse on top of them. It was about to crush the two of them as Lantos rose back up and created a biotic barrier over the two of them, pushing the mech back before it was completely obliterated by a power overload.

Lantos and Riley looked down over the destroyed mech and then back up to each other. Lantos was about to say something as the rest of the squad approached them. Taylor was at the head an seemed angrier than the others. "You know, it's customary to say thank you when someone saves your ass!" Before either of them could say anything, more troops started pouring out into the shuttle bay, intent on stopping their escape. Lantos and Riley started using their powers to bring down enemies as the rest of the squad took their targets.

Lantos charged a Cerberus Dragoon unit and proceeded to use his biotics to enhance his melee abilities, beating the Dragoon's armor in and incapacitating him. Allan spotted three Assault Troopers approaching and used a cluster grenade to bring down two of them. As the surviving trooper stumbled in front of him. Allan used his backhanded omni-blade to slice right through his armor. Torik switched to his Scorpion pistol as two Phantoms approached and he fired off two rounds, hitting both of them with one sticky grenade each before cloaking. The two Phantoms panicked as they tried to pry the grenades off, but their efforts proved to be futile as each one was vaporized in a red mist. Selene was pinned down by a Combat Engineer as his turret's sights trained on her. When it paused from firing to cool down, she peered around the corner to sabotage the turret, scrambling its Identify-Friend-Foe protocols. The turret turned on its master and opened fire. Selene turned away to attack a new target as the turret did the work for her, just before self-destructing. Riley was under fire from two Centurion units as he used an energy drain to bring down their barriers and reinforce his own. As they kept firing on his recharged barriers, his omni-tool let off a super-cooled mist over them that chilled the two Centurions to the bone. The frozen bodies were shattered after Riley threw two warp bolts at them, scattering pieces of frozen flesh and armor all over the floor.

The alarm kept blaring as the room was cleared of all Cerberus troopers. "Enemies down, Commander," said as Torik The squad went to the center of the room. Lantos watched from the outside as they discussed their game plan. "What's the plan, Skipper? We can take one of these shuttles and leave at any time," said Allan. "But we have the opportunity to destroy an entire Cerberus base. That was drastically improve things for us," said Selene. "No, Cerberus already has contingency plans to obliterate facilities when any bases have been located. The most we'd be doing is putting a dent in the Illusive Man's wallet," said Riley. "Say, where's Taylor?" he asked. Taylor was ran in panting as she explained. "Sorry I disappeared. I was just perusing through Cerberus data. What's going on?" "We should probably take this opportunity to make an escape," said Riley as he turned to Lantos. "Unless our guest would rather wait for the next flight," he continued.

Lantos looked up at Riley with a defeated look on his face. He sighed to himself and walked up to the group. Riley grinned as the Turian finally saw reason. Allan opened up a nearby shuttle as the others boarded it. Riley climbed into the pilot's seat and familiarized himself with the controls as Taylor sat down in the co-pilot's seat. "Wait, you fly?" she asked. "It's been a while, but I was pilot once in my career. Just don't expect a smooth ride," said Riley. Taylor looked a bit worried as she gripped her seat tightly. The shuttle eased out of the bay as Riley grinned, getting back into the swing of flying.

...

It would be about five hours until the shuttle would reach the rendezvous point, so most of the squad thought was a good idea to get some shut eye and recover from their recent escapade. Taylor was asleep on the floor as Lantos walked up and sat in the co-pilot's seat.

"Trouble sleeping?" asked Riley. Lantos looked over to Riley as he looked back. "Partly. And I want to..." He found it hard to say the next word. "Apologize... For being irrational back on Ker." There was a brief pause before Lantos spoke again. "I guess I just-" "Don't worry, Mr. Nasanor," interrupted Riley. "I know. And I can't do anything to fix what happened in the past. All I know is that now, with the Reapers coming, we need to put that aside until we have less things to worry about," said Riley. "I don't plan on putting it aside, I plan on leaving it behind," said Lantos as he looked to Riley with confidence. "Commander, my father wasn't killed by Arthur Riley; he was killed by a stupid war that never should have happened." There was a slight pause as Riley was confused by this change of heart. "My uncle kept telling me 'the humans killed your ol' man' and that the Alliance boarded his ship. And I believed him up until the day I actually read the file myself. My father wasn't killed in cold blood like he said."

Riley listened as a war story from his father started re-surfacing. "It was still during the First Contact War," said Lantos as Riley imagined the scenario. "My father, Grazor Nasanor, led a team on board an Alliance Cruiser, the S.S.V. _New Delhi_, to try and bring down the Alliance attack line without killing too many humans. Of course, my uncle, Jolan Nasanor, didn't approve of this. He thought the humans were immature, not intelligent enough to explore space, much less use the Mass Relays. My father gave a specific order not to kill anyone and take prisoners as opposed to bodies, but Uncle Jolan ignored this and killed ten different deck officers when he had the chance, making sure my father didn't know what he was doing. They planned their assault on the main bridge and were ready to take the ship. Their infiltration was perfect, but my father didn't expect one of the humans to fight back, even in the worst of situations. The human pulled his pistol up and aimed it at Jolan. The human gave him fair warning, but that didn't matter. Jolan just saw this as an opportunity to exert his anger. My father leapt in to protect the human, but Jolan fired anyway. He took the whole hit and slowly fell to the floor as the human fired back. He hit Jolan in the arm and disarmed him before trying to help my father. There wasn't much he could do, though, no matter how hard the human tried. He was losing too much blood in too little time. My father mustered up what strength he could, and said with his dying words, 'If you can learn to cope with the strange-" "Then the strange will learn to cope with you," finished Riley.

The two warriors exchanged glances as Riley realized that man was his father. Riley held his hand out to Lantos who looked down at it hesitantly. Lantos looked back up at Riley and shook it firmly, forging a bond between warriors. "Commander, I am in your debt and at your service."


	7. Chapter 7: War

Chapter 7: War

The six walked onto the bridge and were confronted with silent crewmen and images of death, destruction, and despair. Riley looked around, trying to get a hold of what was going on. The Comm Officer walked up after noticing the squad returned with their target. "Commander, I'm afraid we have some unfortunate news," he said worriedly. "While you were on your way back, all Alliance comm channels were overloaded with several distress calls and military orders. After clearing up the comm traffic, we were able to get a clear line to Earth. It turns out that Commander Shepard was right. The Reapers have arrived, and we were too late to respond," he said. The remained silent as they looked out at the different monitors showing Alliance News Network footage of the attacks on Earth and several other Alliance colonies.

"What's the damage like so far?" asked Riley as he turned his attention back to the Comm officer, "Second Fleet was deployed to Arcturus Station to defend the Alliance Council, only to be completely destroyed along with the station and the council." Allan sighed stressfully and set his forehead in his palm. "Admiral Hackett was able to evacuate as many people as possible, getting Fifth, Fourth, and First Fleet to the Citadel. He's currently recalling Third Fleet and all Alliance ships to the Citadel. Earth is currently holding as much ground as possible with Admiral Anderson commanding the ground forces. They've been able to hold their own relatively well considering the circumstances." "Well, at least there's some good news," said Selene.

"Unfortunately, the situation in Batarian and Turian space isn't as pretty." Lantos' attention rose as the Comm Officer mentioned Turian space. "The Batarian Hegemony is in ruin being the first race attacked by the Reapers and the fact that the Alpha Relay was destroyed before the Reapers arrived. Palaven is under heavy attack, and the military is currently in full retreat to the moon of Menae," continued the Comm Officer. "Commander, we need to get to Palaven. If things are as bad as they're made out to be, than we need to get as many people out as possible," said Lantos. Riley knew that would be a mistake. "I admire your willingness to help the civilians, but if we go in there, this ship will be cut up into tiny little pieces. If the _New York_ were a frigate like the _Normandy,_ then maybe we'd have a chance. But now, the best thing to do is to regroup," Lantos sighed and withdrew his request. "Alright. At least I know my mother is safe on the Citadel," he said.

"Now with that out of the way..." said Riley as he stepped up to the Galaxy Map. "Attention all decks, as you are aware, the Reapers have arrived and began attacking our homeworlds. We can't take time mourn our losses or worry about what could happen. I'm expecting all of you to get back to work by o' one hundred hours." He turned back around and headed to the elevator as the squad watched in disbelief at the seemingly hateful act that their leader just committed. Selene couldn't take feeling sorry for him anymore and stormed after him. He waited for the door to close before letting loose on him.

"You know, I thought that maybe you were just stressed out from everything Cerberus has done to you, but no; you're just a cold, calculating, unfeeling bosh'tet! And to think I actually felt sorry for you!" Riley simply stood there with anger growing on his face, trying to stop Selene's ranting, but she was too passionate about this to stop. "Your crew isn't just a bunch of dogs you can push around to do what you need them to do. They have feelings. They have families that they have left behind on colonies that the Reapers are now destroying. Someone's child could have died in the past hour, and you just tell them to shrug it off like it never happened!? You make me sick!" she yelled before slapping him. He winced a bit, not expecting the sudden strike. As the door opened, she stormed out and away to Engineering while Riley stood there, dumbfounded at what just happened.

He lightly touched the red mark on his face where she just struck him, and started thinking it over. He tapped the controls on the elevator to bring him up to the Captain's Quarters. As the elevator started moving upward, he started hearing voices again, calling out for his name. The voices were ghostly in nature, sounding awfully a lot like the voices of the crew from the _Vancouver_, except for one female voice, which sounded familiar, but he couldn't put a face to it.

He walked out into his quarters and into the bathroom. He turned the water on from the sink and wet his hands, splashing water in his face before looking up into the mirror. In the reflection, he didn't see his own face, but that of a husk. This caught him by surprise and made him jump backward onto the floor, afraid to look back in the mirror. He slowly crawled back to the sink to splash more water on his face before getting up slowly to look at his reflection. It was just him. Maybe not sleeping on the way back to the ship was starting to make him hallucinate.

He walked into his bedroom, past the broken glass and models still on the floor, and climbed into his bed, trying to relax as the voices came back and persisted. He twisted and turned as he tried to relax as more voices started to penetrate deep into his thoughts. Now there were even more voices, calling out for him. These voices were ones that he couldn't recognize. He didn't know a single one until that same female voice called out to him again. "Jared..." it called.

As he drifted from the world of reality to the world of unreality, Riley found himself back in England again, only this time, there were no Reapers. There were no Cerberus troops. There was only himself and Taylor Belle on the other side of the street. She looked at him for a moment before she turned away and started walking down the street. Riley followed after her and called her name, but she didn't respond. She turned a corner and disappeared from sight, leading Riley in to turn after her. When he turned the corner, he came face to face with a Cerberus Phantom, which then proceeded to stab him in the chest, waking him violently from his sleep.

He looked over at the time and sighed as four hours had already passed.

...

Commander Riley took the elevator down to the ship's mess hall/lounge. Maybe eating something would put him at ease. He regretted what he said yesterday to his crew and felt that he should follow it up with something more inspirational that morning. He pulled up his omni-tool and saw a notice from Admiral Hackett saying that all ships not in combat would be allowed ten minutes in a regular work day to address the morality issues on board. This looked like an opportunity for him, so he made a mental note of it and grabbed some food from the ration dispensers.

As he walked to sit down, he noticed Selene was already at a table with her hands clasped together. He thought for a moment, somewhat speculative about sitting with her. He sucked up his hesitation and sat down across from her. She looked up to face him, then looked back down, closing her eyes. Riley was close enough to see the expressions on her face through her mask.

"I'm sorry, Commander. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just-" "It's alright, Selene," said Riley. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I just couldn't believe what I was hearing from you. You asked those people, your crew, to just drop any hope they had of contacting their loved ones and get back to work," "I know, but what I don't know is how I'm letting myself do this," replied Riley as he stood up and looked out the window. "This whole thing with Cerberus has been driving me crazy. And now with the Reapers here... I just-!" He cut himself off as his left hand started to glow with a purple flame surrounding it.

Selene worried for a moment until he sighed, letting go of his rage. The purple flame dissipated before he let his arm hang loose. "Want to talk about it in private?" asked Selene. "That'd be preferable," replied Riley.

...

Selene sat on the couch in the Captain's Quarters as Riley preferred standing, pacing from one side of the room to the other. It was the first time she was able to see the room in its entirety. Before, she was only able to see the front of the room which contained a large work desk, an aquarium, a broken shadow box, and three chairs; two for visitors and one for Riley himself. The rest of the room beyond that area was more like an actual bedroom with a queen size bed, a couch (which she was sitting in), a couple of arm chairs and a few other things to make it feel like home.

Riley was explaining how he's been having Reaper infested nightmares recently, and that every time he would always attack Cerberus instead of the Reapers, letting his team die while he exerted his rage. He also mentioned his most recent dream with Taylor. "And then she disappeared and was replaced by a Phantom, which then stabbed me right in the chest," he said stressfully as Selene listened. "What do you think this means?" she asked. "I don't know anymore," said Riley as he plopped down in his favorite arm chair just across from her. He let his arms loose over the sides as he looked over at her. "I'm just starting to think I'm either being indoctrinated or going insane," he continued.

Selene shook her head. "I don't think it's either of those," she said. "You're just getting overstressed. You lost your ship and crew to an evil that tortured you beforehand. You just need a break or someone to talk to at least," she said. "Like you?" asked Riley with a grin. Selene giggled as Riley finally let off a chuckle. He looked down at the ground. "That was the first time I laughed, ever since my mom..." said Riley. He started to drift off into memory as Selene watched. "I'm sorry. Just an old memory," he said. "Would you like to share it?" she asked.

Riley sat up and brought his hands together, looking down as he twiddled his thumbs. "My mother was an incredible woman. She was beautiful, elegant, smart, and kind. She was an engineer, one of the few that helped with the engines that we use now. One day, she came home very ill and went to bed. The next morning... She didn't wake up," he said. Selene's expression changed from curiosity to sympathy. "My mother had a similar fate," she said. "One day, her research team returned to the Migrant Fleet from a mission. She had a break in her suit and managed to catch a minor cold. She shrugged it off and thought nothing of it. Unfortunately, it wasn't as minor as she thought. Over time, she got sicker and sicker, forming bronchitis, laryngitis, and several other diseases. She suffered for weeks until..." She sniffled behind her mask as tears streamed from her eyes. "Until my father decided it was too much... He knew she wouldn't live for much longer, so he had the doctors poison her next medication to put her out of her misery." She started losing control of her depression as she continued. "I stayed in my room, crying for mother to come back to me while father tried to make me happy again, but I wouldn't."

She got control of herself as the tears stopped flowing. "Eventually, I realized that if were to keep going with my life, I had to leave the past behind me. Even if it meant leaving her behind. It's what she would have wanted of me." Riley looked back up at her as she looked back at him. The two shared a glance not like one they have before. A connection was forming; not just a partnership, but a real bond. "You don't have any plans tonight, do you?" asked Riley. "No," said Selene as she started catching on to what he was suggesting. She stood up and walked over to him as he stood up, meeting her in the middle of the room. "Are you hoping for some company?" asked Selene. "I'd like that very much," answered Riley.

She looked down at his palm and took it in her hand, raising it between them as her other hand clasped it. She let that hand hold tightly as her free hand trailed up his arm to his shoulder. He responded by placing his arm on her side as she pulled closer to him. The two knew that her helmet would prevent any sort of romantic kiss, but he was more comfortable with embracing her anyway. He pulled her the rest of the way as they embraced each other, still holding hands as one arm wrapped around the other's torso. She gently set her head on his shoulder as he closed his eyes and rested his head beside hers. He pulled back some and opened his eyes again to gaze at her again.

He let go of her and moved his hands up to the sides of her mask, getting ready to take it off. She quickly responded by moving her arms to grip his wrists, keeping them at bay. They were both shocked at each other's actions, but it didn't totally ruin the moment for them. "Not yet, Commander. We have a war to fight now," she said as she escorted his hands down to her hips. "Think of it as incentive to win," she said smirking behind her helmet. He chuckled a bit at her humor and kept his hands on her hips as she placed hers on his back. They hugged each other again as the two started off an unorthodox yet justified relationship.

...

The next morning, Riley walked onto the bridge alongside Selene. He managed to get a good night's rest for once thanks to Selene being there to let him feel secure about his sanity. As he walked up to the Galaxy Map to make a speech, he felt unsure about it, even anxious. He turned to Selene who nodded to him, implying she was there for him. He turned back to the map and activated the shipwide comm system. Everyone turned their attention to him as he prepared to make his new speech to the crew.

"All hands, this is the captain. Admiral Hackett has allowed ten minutes extra in the normal work day for all Alliance personnel not in combat to acknowledge what has just happened. I retract my last statement of having to set your personal issues aside when it comes to fighting this war. I shouldn't expect you all to just flick a magical switch and be in fighting shape again, because that's not who we are." Selene watched proudly as Riley continued. "We are all beings of flesh and blood and feeling, not some machines, doing what we're programmed to do. We do things out of choice; out of decisions; out of emotions. Right now, I'm letting you all make a choice to either contact your loved ones or have some time to yourselves to mourn the ones you lost. If you don't get the time to address your feelings now, you may never get the chance again. Use this time wisely."

With that, he cut off the comms and walked down from the Galaxy Map. Riley started making his way to the helm as Selene followed, staying by his side. Once he reached the helm, he set a hand on the ensign's shoulder. "Go talk to your parents, ensign. You need the break," he said. The ensign got out of the helm's position and saluted Riley who returned the salute. As he left the helm, Riley slowly climbed into the helm as Selene took the co-pilot's seat.

Torik walked in from the Combat Information Center as Riley settled in. "Sir, new orders from Admiral Hackett. We've just received word of a possible Cerberus defector somewhere in the Hawking Eta Cluster. We've received orders to divert there and retrieve the defector if possible." "Course laid in, Commander," said Selene. Riley started adjusting controls as he got used to the helm again. "Let's see here... Adjust pitch and yaw to follow course, increasing power to inertial dampeners,,, There we go."

The ship started to glide through space as Riley took control. As they neared the Mass Relay, a proximity alarm went off. Riley began to panic as Selene grew nervous when they seemed awfully close to the Relay. Torik closed his eyes and held onto her seat as the Mass Relay's energy arced to the ship, launching it through space. "That was too close, Riley," said Selene. "I am definitely not trying that again..." said Riley.


	8. Attention

Hey guys. I've been on hiatus for a while, and I still kinda am. I've been working on a ton of projects for a while and I kinda need to let this one set for a bit before I keep going. With that, Chapter 8 will be posted some time in the near future. It is about 75 percent complete, so don't worry. When I get to it, it wont take long.


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